Healing What Is Broken
by xBrawlx
Summary: He has been critically injured again, and it was her duty to heal him, but something kept drawing them to each other like none expected. Now together they'll try to deal with the consequences their forbidden relationship has brought.
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Hey guys and welcome to my first Bleach fanfic called "Healing What Is Broken."**_

 _ **This fic will be an AU from the point the anime has ended, but it doesn't mean that there won't manga spoilers in this story so be warned of that!**_

 _ **There will probably be OOCness in some moments but rest assured that I'm doing my best to make these moments as little as possible, but if the plot of the story requires it then I'll have no choice but to make some characters a bit OOC which I hope you'll understand.**_

 _ **The main reason I make stories with weird or as some call it "crack" pairing is because I want to bring a diverse selection to the fandoms I write for which some of you who follows my other stories already know.**_

 _ **I browsed the Bleach fanfic page for any Unohana x Ichigo fics, and I was saddened to find only a very little amount of fics with this pairing and the ones I did find were abandoned and so.**_

 _ **The cover photo for the story is going to be temporary due to the lack of a better pic of Ichigo and Unohana together. If any of you have a pic that involves Ichigo and Unohana together and is willing to allow me to use it as a cover for this fic, I'll appreciate it! :)**_

 _ **I also want to say that I have decided not to use Japanese honorifics in this story, but if I see that most of you want me to include them, then I'll change it. I have grand plans for both this fic and the next Bleach fic (Which will also feature a crack pairing) I'll publish, and I am really excited to show it to all of you, so I hope you'll stick with me during this fic :)**_

 _ **I do want to make a small request from all of you that I hope you'll listen to. I want to ask you that if you dedicate your time to review, which I thank you for, then please keep the review civilized and not reviews like "Shitty story, fuck you and fuck this story."**_

 _ **I believe that's everything I have to say to you all so enjoy the story! :)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Tite Kubo does!**_

"Talking."

 **"Zanpakutō spirit talking."**

 _'Thoughts.'_

 _"Quotation."_

*Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing*

 ** _(Flashback and time skips_ _)_ **

**"Attacks."**

* * *

Few weeks had passed since Kurosaki Ichigo has regained his Shinigami powers back.

Right now Ichigo and his friends Orihime, Chad, and Uryū were making their way through the Dangai to visit their Shinigami friends who they haven't seen for seventeen months.

"I wonder how everyone has been," Orihime curiously asked as she thought about the possible changes her Shinigami friends and Soul Society had undergone since they had last seen them.

"Not much had changed I guess, I didn't get to spend much time there last time," Ichigo replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I wonder how Rukia is doing," Orihime changed the subject as her thoughts drifted to a particular raven-haired Shinigami.

While she did catch a small peek at Rukia during the incident with Ginjō and Tsukishima, she wasn't able to talk to her due to how she and Chad were knocked out by Urahara and Isshin after Tsukishima had increased the effect his Fullbring had on their memories that caused them to be pushed to the brink of mental breakdown

But now, they were on their way to the Soul Society where they would meet their friends after all this time and Orihime couldn't wait to catch up with the Kuchiki girl.

It might not look like this but Orihime considered Rukia to a very good friend to her, and she was glad when Rukia had told her that she considered her to be the same to her.

"Meh, the midget is alright," Ichigo answered again as he used the old nickname he gave Rukia while struggling to stifle his laughter with his hand.

"Ichigo! That's not nice," Orihime scolded the orange-haired Shinigami, but she couldn't deny the laugh she stifled upon hearing this nickname.

It brought many old memories to her.

Memories of the time she first obtained her powers and the first time she learned of Rukia being a Shinigami.

Memories of their invasion to Soul Society to rescue the same midget they spoke about.

She remembered the times they all spent time together, the exchanges Ichigo and Rukia had.

But those last memories were not happy.

Each time she saw the orange-haired Shinigami interact with the Kuchiki girl her heart clenched.

The way they spoke, the way they behaved, the things they'll do for each other. It almost looked like they had feelings for one another and the mere thought of it greatly pained Orihime.

Even if Rukia does have feelings for Ichigo, she won't try to interrupt it by competing with her for his affection. She would just step aside and let both her friends to be happy even when her heart clenched just from the mere thought of Ichigo being with another woman; that's how Orihime was.

But at the same time, she couldn't be happier if Ichigo would choose her, but that was something she would keep only to herself.

* * *

"Ahh, we're finally here," Ichigo said between his pants as he and his friends had finally emerged out of the Dangai.

Sure, with the Kōtotsu gone after Aizen destroyed it in the war, traveling between the Human world and Soul Society has been much easier, but the long distance they had to run within the Dangai was still proving to be frustrating.

"Well well, if it isn't Ichigo and his friends. How are you all?" A familiar voice greeted the new arrivals at Soul Society; making them all turn around to meet with the source of the voice.

She looked different. Her once long and wavy blonde hair was now stopping short at her shoulders while it curled near her chin with the left side of it hanging over her face.

Her shihakushō now sported a split in it which ran along the length of her right leg.

She was no stranger to the group, but it still took them few seconds to recognize her.

"H-Hey Rangiku," Ichigo nervously stuttered as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

It wasn't that the young Shinigami hated the vice-captain of the tenth squad, it was her... Advances towards him that bothered him.

He wasn't clueless as everyone thought he was. He was just a gentleman, someone who wouldn't ogle at a girl or bring any disrespect towards one. He understood Matsumoto's advances towards him but chose not to succumb to them.

"My my, shy as ever huh Ichigo?" She teased him with a wink sent his way that caused him to blush.

"R-Right... Anyway, have you seen Rukia and Renji?" Ichigo asked, hoping to change the subject before the blonde vice-captain would continue her teasing.

"Rukia and Renji you say? Um... I think they are both with their captains right now, but if you want to see them, then you should join us all at the bar tonight."

"I don't think it's a good idea..." Ichigo hesitated to take her offer.

He knew how Rangiku had behaved when she was sober and if he judged by this, then he wouldn't dare to be near her when she's drunk.

"C'mon Ichigo... Are you afraid that all the girls in the bar will try to kidnap you to themselves?" She asked in a sultry voice that intensified his blush while Orihime now sported a blush of her own as well.

"Thank you for the offer Rangiku, we'll be there," Uryū said while fixing his glasses, hoping to remind the blonde girl and his orange-haired friend that they weren't alone.

After Uryū had interrupted their talk Matsumoto stopped with her advances towards Ichigo and gave them the details of the bar they'll be heading to before leaving, all the while complaining about the paperwork that her captain has stacked up for her.

Seeing there was nothing to do. Ichigo and his friends resorted to traveling around the Seireitei before the time they'll have to head to the bar would come.

* * *

 ** _(Few Hours Later...)_**

It has been few hours since Ichigo and his friends had emerged out of the Dangai and met with Rangiku.

After parting ways with the vice-captain Ichigo and the rest had traveled around the Seireitei, all the while Orihime gawked at most of her surrounding.

She never had time to go around and explore Soul Society. Considering how the last time she was there she and the rest were at the risk of being killed by the same Shinigami who they came to visit now. But now things were different, and she finally had time to do a little sighting around.

After they were finished with their sighting around the Seireitei, Ichigo and the rest had decided to go and meet Kūkaku and Ganju, who they haven't seen since their invasion to Soul Society.

It took them quite some time to find the new location Kūkaku and Ganju have moved to, but eventually they found it.

The guards at the entrance instantly recognized them after all this time, much to the surprise of Ichigo and the others.

Once inside, they were not spared of Kūkaku's anger after not bothering to visit her and her brother since the rescue mission; making them feel a bit guilty.

But as quick as her anger came it also left and before Ichigo and the rest knew it Kūkaku was laughing at their expressions before calling Ganju.

When the young Shiba had entered the room and spotted Ichigo the both of them spent no time butting their heads while talking about resolving their fight from last time. But this didn't live for long as well since Kūkaku's rising anger got them to stop instantly.

When the anger had finally subsided, Kūkaku invited them to eat dinner with them; something they didn't dare to refuse to in fear of upsetting the Shiba girl.

And so, they all ate dinner while Ganju and the rest of the people who participated in the invasion to Soul Society had reminisced about it; mostly on Ichigo's fight against Byakuya and Aizen's betrayal.

When they left the Shiba household, it was already night, and quickly Ichigo and the rest made their way to the bar.

The bar was relatively normal;, it wasn't something fancy, but it wasn't bad either. The bar itself was located on the outskirts of the Soul Society.

Once inside, they were surprised from the mass of people that had gathered there. They recognized most of them and those they did were:

Rangiku, Rukia, Renji, Captain Hitsugaya, Shunsui, Ikkaku, Captain Unohana, Shinji and surprisingly enough Yoruichi.

Some of them they were less familiar with like Isane Kotetsu, who Ichigo remembered from Hueco Mundo,

"Yoruichi! What are you doing here?!" Ichigo asked in perplexion when his eyes landed on the dark-skinned Shinigami.

"Aren't you happy to see me, Ichigo?" Yoruichi teased in a seductive voice as she winked at Ichigo; making him blush.

"I thought you were at Urahara's," He replied, still curious as to what his old mentor was doing there.

"I was, but I came here a few days ago to visit Soifon,"

Ichigo didn't respond and instead just nodded before he and the rest took their seats around the table.

"Inoue! It's been a long time," Rukia told the orange-haired girl who smiled in response before saying the same thing to the raven-haired Shinigami.

While Orihime and Rukia caught up with each other Chad and Renji were also catching up with each other, mostly about how their training had been and the improvements they made in their powers since the last time they met each other.

"So Ichigo, how things have been going for you?" Shunsui asked Ichigo after taking a sip of his sake.

"Fine, I suppose, " Ichigo awkwardly replied while he rubbed the back of his head from the awkwardness of the conversation.

Shunsui, who felt that the conversation wouldn't hold merits, had instead resorted to something more... Fun.

"How about a drink? To celebrate the return of your powers," Shunsui didn't wait for the orange-haired reply as he quickly shoved a cup of sake to his hands before making a toast.

"You're just looking for reasons to drink," Ichigo accused the captain of the eighth Division as he eyed him skeptically.

"I don't see what is wrong with that," Shunsui laughed at the boy's remark before replying.

"You never drank before?"

"Well... Not really," Shunsui expected this answer from the Substitute Shinigami, but it didn't stop him to gasp in fake surprise upon hearing it.

"I can't believe you never drank before! You have no idea what you're missing boy, why don't you try one now?"

Ichigo just nodded before he briefly examined the cup in his hands before he decided to listen to the captain's advice.

*cough cough*

"W-What is this!" Ichigo asked Shunsui as he got over his fit of coughs.

While the drink itself didn't taste bad as Ichigo expected, it felt like he swallowed fire which he assumed that it felt that way because he'd never drank before.

The captain of the eighth Division just chuckled at the boy's reaction to the drink before taking another sip from his own cup.

They were all happily conversing with each other when the doors to the bar had violently opened.

"Where is he?" A familiar booming voice bellowed as reiatsu started to flood the bar and cause most of its occupants to cling to their consciousness.

"Here he is Kenny! Hey, Ichi!" Yachiru, the vice-captain of the Eleventh Division, gleefully told her captain when she saw the bundle of orange hair peek from one of the booths.

"Heh, so what brings you here Ichigo?" Kenpachi asked the orange-haired Shinigami as he and Yachiru approached him.

*sigh*

"Well, I came to visit everyone after not seeing them for a long time," Ichigo told Kenpachi.

While the substitute Shinigami had seen Rukia, Renji, and Hitsugaya, who were all present in the bar, he only saw them for a brief time while they were fighting Ginjō and the rest of the Fullbringers, and briefly again when he went to Soul Society to ask for Ginjō to receive a proper burial.

"Well, now that you're here we can finally have our rematch," Kenpachi told Ichigo while he laughed in excitement from the possibility of once again facing the young boy who defeated him once.

"I'm sorry Kenpachi, but I'm not interested," Kenpachi half-expected the boy to say that, but it didn't mean that he'll give up.

"Well, if you won't fight me then I'll just gut your friends instead. Hopefully, they'll be powerful enough for me when I don't hold back," Kenpachi smiled as he directed his gaze at Orihime, Uryū, and Chad while the rest of the people who were at the booth visibly tensed up except Ichigo who growled in anger.

"Don't you dare involve my friends in it Kenpachi!" Ichigo warned the captain who just laughed in return.

"If you want to keep your friends out of it then fight me Ichigo! Fight me without holding back, both of us, or you're afraid that the luck you had in our first fight will not be with you this time?"

"I'll fight you Kenpachi, and hopefully it'll teach you never to threaten my friends," Ichigo told him with gritted teeth as he glared at the towering figure of Kenpachi.

"Heh, come to the Eleventh Division's training ground tomorrow morning if you don't want me to go for your friends instead," Kenpachi told Ichigo before walking to the exit with an ecstatic Yachiru on his shoulder.

But once he arrived at the door he made a brief stop and looked back at Ichigo.

"You should save your anger for tomorrow Ichigo," He advised him before he left.

Just as Kenpachi went through the bar doors, it seemed like everything had returned to how it was before his entrance while the occupants of the bar ceased their shivering.

"Are you sure about this Ichigo? You know how Kenpachi is when he fights," Shinji asked his fellow Vizard in hesitation.

"I know how Kenpachi is when he fights Hirako, but he threatened my friends, and I can't let that slide," Ichigo replied in exasperation.

"As you wish Ichigo, I'm just making sure you know what to expect tomorrow. Kenpachi had been itching for a good fight for a long time now so you should take this very seriously," Shinji warned the orange-haired Shinigami before he dropped the subject.

"I took it seriously the moment he threatened my friends Hirako. I won't hold back, even if it means killing Kenpachi," Ichigo said before he got up from his seat. His statement shocked most of those who were at the table with the exception of his friends who already knew Ichigo good enough.

"I'm going to take some air. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Ichigo bid his friends goodbye before leaving the bar by himself.

* * *

Unohana Retsu watched the entire exchange between the young Substitute Shinigami and her fellow captain with interest.

Ever since she met Ichigo at Hueco Mundo when she and her vice-captain, Isane, had come to provide assistance she was greatly intrigued by the mystery called Kurosaki Ichigo.

The amount of reiatsu a young boy like him possessed was something that greatly shocked her, but at the same time made her develop an interest in the orange-haired Shinigami.

Never in the centuries that she lived Unohana had come across someone who picked her interest like he did. Few came close, but not like he did.

But even before Hueco Mundo, when he was nothing more than a mere intruder who tried to save his friend from execution, even back then her interest in him had shown its first signs.

She remembers hearing from Byakuya how Ichigo had achieved his Bankai in only three days, and she couldn't ignore the fact that it was something exceptional. But it just continued to show her how special this Kurosaki Ichigo was.

How he stopped the Sōkyoku whose both defensive and offensive powers were said to be equal to that of a million Zanpakutō; something that should be impossible to do.

But for Unohana, the list just continued to go on. Every single thing about the orange-haired Shinigami just continued to add to her ever-growing interest in him, and the fact that she thought he was a very handsome man also added to her interest in him albeit in quite a different way.

She also knew of the Hollow that resided within him and instead of being scared by it like many other Shinigamis; she was impressed by how someone like him managed to win against his Hollow to the point it gave him his powers.

But when she saw how Ichigo had reacted to Kenpachi's taunting threat towards him she was curious.

She wondered what was it that made the young Shinigami so determined to protect his friends no matter what.

Sure, it was obvious that like any other, he hated seeing someone he cared for die or get hurt.

But when she gazed at the boy's eyes during his confrontation with Kenpachi she saw something. Something beyond the obvious will to defend those he care about from any harm; it was something much deeper.

"Orihime, do you mind if I ask you something about Ichigo?" Unohana question caused the conversation the orange-haired girl currently had with Rukia to get stopped midway.

"Sure, what is it?" Orihime asked as she flashed Unohana a kind smile which she equally returned.

"What is it that cause Ichigo to want to protect everyone he cares about so much?" She asked, not knowing the sensitivity this question held.

Orihime frowned but quickly discarded it for a sad smile as she tried to form an explanation that will both satisfy the captain in front of her while not hurting Ichigo's privacy.

"W-Well... It has something to do with an incident he had in the past. Ever since this incident, he swore to protect everyone he cared for no matter what," Orihime told the curious captain with a big smile as she thought of Ichigo.

"I see. You must be very fond of him am I right?" The question Unohana asked her made Orihime to start blushing profusely.

"I-I think of Ichigo only as a friend," Orihime stammered in embarrassment as she shook her head vigorously to deny any thought her friends had.

"My my, it seems that Inoue has a thing for our Ichigo," Rangiku tease made Orihime's blush to deepen.

"I-I don't! He's just a good friend!"

"Oh c'mon Inoue, you can't lie to us," Rangiku continued to push the orange-haired girl to tell them the truth only to have a smug smirk adorn her face when the girl admitted her defeat by nodding in agreement.

"Y-You're right," Her whisper was barely heard in the ruckus of the bar, but they all heard it.

While most of the girls had smug expressions on their faces for figuring out the true feelings of Orihime, some didn't, like a certain raven-haired girl whose only reaction to the news was a smile that required no expert to know that it was fake while her heart clenched in pain.

She knew of the relationship Ichigo had with Inoue.

They knew each other since childhood and their relationship only continued to strengthen as time continued to pass.

Knowing of Inoue's feelings towards Ichigo made her doubt the chance she had with him.

In the recent past she just assumed that Inoue only thought of Ichigo as a very dear friend, but as time went on she kept realizing that this thought was nothing more than a way to recede her doubt.

But now, when the girl had clearly stated her feelings towards Ichigo, she couldn't lie to herself anymore.

Now, her only solution was to hope that Ichigo will return her feelings instead of Inoue's.

But on the other side, Inoue was her friend, and she didn't want to see her friend get hurt and it made her doubt the way she thought about all of this.

For the first time, Kuchiki Rukia had been utterly clueless about what she should do, and it frustrated her to no end.

But Rukia wasn't the only one who didn't share the rest of the girl's reaction. Another raven-haired girl found herself deep in thoughts.

Unohana Retsu has also found herself experiencing something she had never experienced before; she felt jealous.

Never in her life, Unohana has found herself being jealous at something, and it made her curious as to why exactly was she jealous.

She knew that the feeling had surfaced after hearing Orihime's true feelings, but she didn't find a reason for why Orihime's statement affected her like the way it did.

Surely, she found Ichigo to be a mystery she needed to solve, and except her physical attraction towards him she didn't feel anything towards the boy... Right?

So why her heart told her otherwise? Why did it clench when she heard Orihime's words?

She didn't know, and she was determined to find the answer as soon as possible. But one thing was certain for the captain, and it was that her heart wasn't lying to her, but rather her mind had mistranslated her heart.

With this thought stuck in her head Unohana got up from her seat and bid everyone farewell before leaving the bar.

* * *

After both Ichigo and Unohana had left the bar it did not take long for the others to feel that their time to leave has also arrived.

One by one everyone had left the bar so they could get enough sleep in preparation for tomorrow.

But not everyone could get their sleep.

As Inoue and the rest went with Rukia to the Kuchiki manor, the others had parted ways each to his own room.

Meanwhile, Ichigo still wandered around the Seireitei as he tried to cool himself off before he went over to Rukia's as well to get some sleep. All the while hoping that the feeling that something will go horribly wrong will remain only to be a feeling and nothing more.

* * *

 ** _AN: Please don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review! I'll see you next chapter!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the second chapter of "Healing What Is Broken."_**

 ** _First, I want to thank everyone who had Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed as well as to apologize for the delay in this chapter's release. I had some unexpected things that stood in the way, so I apologize for that._**

 ** _I greatly appreciate the constructive reviews (and reviews in general) that you guys had spent the effort to make, and I tried my best to take advantage of them and improve the things you pointed out, but I ask you to remain civil regardless of your opinion on the story._**

 ** _Now, I know that some find my writing to be not to their liking, but there's nothing I can do about it. That's the way I write, and I am not going to change it. I can, and I will try to improve it, but I am not going to change that unless I am happy with what it brings._**

 ** _Also, your biggest concern regarding this story was the rushing of Unohana and Ichigo's relationship, and I will tell you this so you would know in advance. Ichigo and Unohana's relationship will advance pretty fast, but there would be many reasons behind it (Reasons I heavily hinted at since the first chapter) and not just "Oh, I'm lazy so let's rush it" because that's not the case at all as some of you who read my other stories know that I always do stuff with a specific reason that will play a part in the near or far future of the story, so I ask you to keep that in mind before you leave a review that complains about the same things I noted here._**

 ** _For me, Unohana is a determined, strong woman that will actually be the one to initiate and not wait for someone to hit on her. I constructed the story, so Unohana's character will follow the same way I perceived her to be so for some, who perceived her differently, she might look OOC, but for me this is how I see Unohana in Bleach, and since we never saw her in a situation like the one in the FanFic I wrote Unohana the same way I thought she would behave in a situation like this._**

 ** _I also want to warn that there will be manga spoilers at some point during this story, especially spoilers regarding Unohana's past and Ichigo's Zangetsu so keep that in mind if you choose to continue reading the story._**

 ** _Now, without further ado, here is the next chapter! Enjoy! :)_**

"Talking."

 **"Zanpakutō / Hollow talking."**

 _'Thoughts.'_

 _"Quotation."_

*Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing*

 ** _(Flashback and time skips_ _)_**

 _ **"Attacks."**_

* * *

It was early morning when Ichigo had woken up from his sleep. The sun was just showing the first signs of rising. The sound of birds chippering could clearly be heard from outside the room as well as the sound of water from the pond near his room, and the sound of footsteps could be faintly heard which Ichigo assumed to be the many Shinigami who were attending to their duties.

A smile adorned his face when he realized that this morning he wouldn't have to dodge yet another one of his father's good morning kicks.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and allowed himself to take a look at the room he was staying at in the Kuchiki Manor.

He wasn't surprised when the sight he was met with was a room bare of anything but the bed he was sleeping on.

 _'Typical Byakuya...'_ Ichigo had thought to himself while he snickered when he thought about how Byakuya must have been the one who designed the rooms that way when he assumed the title of the Head of the Kuchiki clan.

He pondered what could have possibly made Byakuya the way he was now. Surely he was different when he was young... So what happened?

The question itself was something the orange-haired was interested in knowing someday, but for now, he would have to shrug it off in favor of what awaits him today.

No matter how hard he tried, Ichigo couldn't get rid of the feeling that something wrong will happen and it was this feeling of restlessness that haunted him even in his dream.

He remembered it vividly, but the parts that he did remember weren't very pleasant for his mind to remember.

One part that greatly bothered him was that in the dream Kenpachi overwhelmed him to the point where he barely clung to his life. He remembered thinking that this was hopeless and that Kenpachi had won and would probably finish him off, but there was someone who didn't think along the same lines as him and he had no intention of giving up just yet.

 _'Leave it to me to save your sorry ass King...'_ Ichigo remembered to be the last thing he had heard before he woke up from his dream. There was no mistaking it... This voice full of malice and the way he addressed him; he was someone Ichigo wished to never see again after the loss of his powers, and with his reappearance in his dream, Ichigo's wish was shattered.

His mind didn't dwell long on the fractions that he remembered from his dream as it desperately wished to push them away, and instead, it reminded Ichigo of what happened last night during his stroll around Soul Society.

* * *

 ** _(Flashback)_**

It wasn't long since Ichigo had parted ways from his friends back at the bar in order to get some air and distract his mind off what awaited him tomorrow.

He returned to the Seireitei where he walked around its streets as he paid attention to every bit of detail and the large difference that the Seireitei had from Karakura with a hope that it would be enough to keep his mind busy from the thoughts about tomorrow's fight.

When he and the rest had roamed around the Seireitei earlier tonight, he didn't pay much attention to his surroundings as he didn't care much for it, but now... Now it was different; now he would do anything so the feeling of restlessness would go away even if it meant staring at things he cared little about.

By the end of the trip, Ichigo had found himself at a place not so far from the Kuchiki manor he was supposed to spend the night at where something weird had happened.

The place was arid with nothing there but the walls that spread across the Seireitei for miles until the eye could no longer see them on the horizon.

He didn't pay much attention to the place and preferred to just go to the Kuchiki manor as soon as possible, and he would've done that if it wasn't for the strange noises that only sounded like they came closer and closer to him, almost like footsteps.

 _'What the hell...'_ He thought to himself as the noise sounded like it was a mere second away from him. He didn't have the chance to ponder about the strange noise for as soon as the noises came to a halt something else had made Ichigo tense up; the touch of a warm, soft hand on his back.

"Wha?!" He cried out in panic as he quickly spun around to see the owner of the hand that had laid contact on his back only to relax when he was met with a familiar face

"C-Captain Unohana?! What are you doing here?" He asked, his tone curious and surprised by her appearance at the same time.

"My My, if I had known that you would react that way I never would've tried to sneak on you Ichigo," She said with a playful tone while a faint smirk adorned her face.

"S-Shut up! I was just caught off-guard!" Ichigo replied in irritation with his cheeks now tinted crimson red in embarrassment from Unohana's tease.

"I must say that I enjoy this kind of small talk, but unfortunately this isn't the reason for why I have come to speak to you," Unohana said. Her demeanor changed from the playful one it was moments ago into one much more serious that had Ichigo gulping the lump that apparently formed itself in his throat in that short switch.

He knew Unohana and had experienced both her gentle side and her terrifying side first handed so Ichigo knew that on the rare moments she turned as serious as she was now he shouldn't expect her gentle side to make an appearance.

"The reason I came to speak to you was about your fight with Captain Zaraki tomorrow," Upon hearing her reason Ichigo had tensed up the same way he did when he felt her soft hand on his back.

Fighting a sudden blush that sported his face upon thinking about the feeling Unohana's hand had generated Ichigo had quickly returned to the subject at hand.

"My fight with Kenpachi? What is it that you want to tell me? I already know how insane he is," Ichigo scoffed with his arms crossed while his gaze had continued to linger on Unohana as he waited for her reply with a face that indicated that he was sure that he knew what she was going to say.

"Indeed Captain Zaraki might not be the most fair-minded of people around here, but you shouldn't underestimate him; the strength he possesses had brought him the title of a Captain let alone Kenpachi even with him not being able to release his Shikai which was unheard of before his arrival," She told him. Her voice, even more, grave than it was seconds ago.

If her voice was this grave so Ichigo would understand the severity of what she told him than it did a very fine job because once Unohana had finished talking Ichigo's face adorned a heavy frown.

"I-I know about all that; Rukia had already told me how strong Kenpachi really is if he managed to become a Captain without his Shikai, but it doesn't matter if he's strong or not because I have to defeat him! If I won't then, he'll go after my friends and I will never let that happen!" The Orange-haired Substitute Shinigami had told her. His voice was showing the depths of his unwavering determination to protect his friends, the same determination that piqued Unohana's curiosity and interest back at the Bar.

"Hmm You make me very curious Ichigo, and I plan to put my curiosity to rest, but unfortunately that'll have to wait after the fight is over," She told him with a smile that made Ichigo both smirk and tremble at the same time.

Was she asking him to answer her questions or she demanded it? Her tone suggested the former but her smile... That same infamous smile that made many of the Shinigami to run for their lives had told him that it was more of a demand than a nice request, and he wasn't foolish enough to try and figure out.

Ichigo, like all the other Shinigami, was afraid of Unohana's smile. But unlike the other Shinigami, Ichigo's fear from Unohana's infamous smile only came because he didn't know Unohana that well and from the tales that his fellow Shinigami had told him about those who defiled it. But the one thing Ichigo was sure at, the thing that the others seemed to have missed, was the simple fact that the smile Unohana adorned, the same terrifying smile, was a result of a painful experience that she had in her past.  
How could he not know that? It was clear as the sky for him. After all, the scowl that seems never to leave his face ever since his mother died felt the same as when he witnessed Unohana's smile; a feeling of many hidden feelings that were eagerly waiting to come out into the world.  
He found himself curious as to what was the event that gave birth to her infamous smile that blocked her feelings behind it. For him, it was his mother's death, but he wondered what was it for Unohana... Maybe in the future, he would find out, but now... Now wasn't the time for that.

"O-Ok," He told her after he nervously swallowed yet another lump that had been formed in his throat.

"Good... I wish you good luck Ichigo, don't disappoint me," Unohana approached the orange-haired and whispered in his ear in a seductive tone that made Ichigo's cheeks to turn the same red as Renji's hair.

"T-Thanks," Ichigo sputtered out in embarrassment, but it was too late; Unohana had already disappeared.

After his abrupt meeting with Unohana was finished Ichigo continued to stay petrified in his spot as he tried to make sense of the meeting, especially the last part.

 _'I wonder why Unohana had the trouble to come and warn me about tomorrow's fight? We don't know each other that well for her to do what she did. I think I should thank her after the fight is over, but more importantly... What the hell was the thing in the end? It almost looked like she tried to...'_ Ichigo pondered to himself as a blush yet once again appeared on his face when his mind had thought about the possible meaning behind Unohana's tone and closeness.

He found himself wondering about that for quite some time until his body had started to make the exhaustion it felt visible, and with those unresolved thoughts that waited to be sorted still in his head and his all too familiar scowl adorning his face, Ichigo had started to walk towards the Kuchiki manor.

But what the young Shinigami didn't know was the existence of a set of blue eyes gazing intently at his retreating form.

 _'That scowl... I know it all too well... What could make a child like him have a scowl with so many emotions behind it?'_ The owner of the blue eyes had thought to herself before she flash-stepped back to her Division's barracks shortly after with her mind still focused on Ichigo's scowl.

Another mystery had been added to the list of the many existing mysteries behind the orange-haired boy... Mysteries she was determined to solve as soon as possible.

 _ **(Flashback End)**_

* * *

After the last remnants of his sleep had vanquished, Ichigo had taken a shower before he left the Kuchiki manor and walked with heavy feets towards the Eleventh Division's training ground where his fight with Kenpachi would commence in an hour or two.

His mind didn't even spare a moment to think about whether or not Rukia and the rest had woken up and were already on the training grounds or they were still sound asleep while they recovered from last night's visit to the bar.

With each step, the aggravating feeling that swelled within his stomach, the same feeling of restlessness that was haunting him since last night, continued to make its presence more and more known as if its sole purpose was to taunt Ichigo to the point where he wouldn't be able to fight properly.

Maybe his Hollow was in charge of this feeling he thought to himself. Maybe it just wanted him to doubt his abilities against Kenpachi so when the time will come, and his focus will be directed somewhere else, even for a mere second, because of the feeling that continued to swell in his stomach then his Hollow will be the one to offer his help like it always had done so it could take over his king's body without much of a struggle.

Ichigo wasn't a fool; he knew that with the return of Zangetsu and his Shinigami powers his Hollow also made a return, but for some reason, it wasn't as talkative as it was before the loss of his powers. He wasn't even sure about his Hollow's return until the dream he had last night which for itself struck Ichigo as weird since his Hollow would always try and taunt him by talking to him when he was awake and not by conjuring up nightmares... He didn't even know that his Hollow had that ability and the fact that he apparently had it made Ichigo very concerned.

But once again, his mind couldn't afford his owner the luxury of thinking about something other than his imminent fight with Kenpachi even if it was something important like the discovery of his Hollow's new abilities.

So like his weird encounter with Unohana and the meaning behind the last part, he pushed those thoughts aside until the fight that had been troubling his mind non-stop would finally be over and his mind will be free to take care of the other things that trouble it.

He gulped the lump that had been formed in his throat and hastened his steps when his eyes caught sight of the Eleventh Division's training ground as he saw no point in delaying the inevitable.

* * *

"Heh, You really did come," He heard the ever so familiar voice of his opponent greet him as soon as he set foot on the training ground, his sick grin adorning his face in its full glory.

"You didn't leave me much of a choice; you threatened to go after my friends and this is is something that I'll never let you do!" Ichigo replied, his voice rancorous as he thought about the threat Kenpachi had made towards his friends so he would get his fight with him.

He knew Kenpachi for quite some time now, and he knew about the Captain's obsession of fighting against strong opponents and his itching for a rematch after his defeat when he and the rest had come to Soul Society to rescue Rukia. But Ichigo never thought that he would stoop as low as to take advantage of Ichigo's resolve to protect his friends so he would get the fight he wished for.

"Ichigo!" He snapped his gaze upon hearing his name being shouted only to crack a small smile when he saw his friends rushing towards him... A smile that shortly lived as he saw the worried expressions that his friends wore.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Ichigo? Kenpachi had been training intensively ever since your last fight with him," Rukia told him, her tone hesitant and her eyes filled with unspoken worry.

"Don't worry Rukia; I'll make sure to defeat him!" Ichigo reassured her while he patted her head in a reassuring manner.

"It's not like I'm worried about you, you idiot!" She rebutted in irritation; her head turned to the side so the orange-haired Shinigami wouldn't see the heavy tint of crimson that adorned her face.

"Ichigo, please be careful," Orihime told him, her voice tender but full of apprehension as if she had the same feeling of restlessness as Ichigo had.

"Don't worry Inoue; I'll be fine," He reassured her with a fake grin that caused her cheeks to match Rukia's

Ichigo wasn't the one to smile. Ever since the death of his mother, he found himself wearing the same face expression, an expression he already got accustomed too; a scowl and furrowed eyebrows, and they all knew it, but they appreciated the effort Ichigo had put into smiling for them even if it was fake.

After Orihime, it was Renji and Uryū who told him that he better survive this fight so they could put their arguments to rest. For Uryū it was the question of who's better? A Quincy or a Shinigami, and as for Renji it was who was stronger since it's been quite a while since their last fight.

"It's starting I have to go, I'll see you later guys!" He told them before he walked towards Kenpachi, and surprisingly Shinji who were already positioned in their places.

"What are you doing here Hirako?" Ichigo asked in perplexion as he took his place in front of Kenpachi.

"I came here to watch of course! But I was asked to tell you both the rules of the fight,"

"Both of you shall fight until one of you is either incapacitated or dead, I prefer the first option but who knows what'll happen," Shinji told them with a snicker at the end of the joke he made so the atmosphere would lighten up. A snicker that short-lived when he saw that he was the only one who laughed.

"Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, begin!" He told them before he quickly flash-stepped back to the audience that watched from the outskirts of the training ground.

* * *

But, as everyone watched with their eyes glued to the two powerful Shinigami each hoping for someone else to emerge victorious from this fight, one Shinigami, in particular, focused on the orange-haired Substitute Shinigami in a way that didn't imitate the way his friends were observing him... Well, except for two girls in his group perhaps.

Yes, Unohana Retsu couldn't help but keep staring at Ichigo in complete awe as drool started to sip from the edge of her mouth slowly.

His strength... It was already at a level that took other Shinigami and Captains hundreds of years to achieve and yet, Ichigo Kurosaki, a seventeen years old boy, had reached the same level in less than a year and he still kept improving.

His strength was something she only heard from her fellow Captains; she never had the chance to see it in action. The first time she began to get the grasp of the enormous strength that dwelled inside such a young boy was during their talk when they both returned from Hueco Mundo.

That talk... She could never forget it; this was the day that her ever growing interest in Ichigo had taken a turn for the best. Hearing how the coat he wears every time he uses Bankai represent his Spiritual Pressure and the mass amount of Spiritual Pressure that the boy possessed awed the Fourth Division Captain greatly.

But it wasn't just Ichigo's strength that got Unohana completely captivated in his current fight against Captain Zaraki. No, his body, his sturdy, robust body was a pleasant sight that she greatly appreciated.

It wasn't a secret that Ichigo was quite a catch. After his decisive battle with Aizen, many of the Shinigami in Soul Society who weren't aware of the orange-haired existence came to know about him which brought for the young boy to be the subject of admiration and jealousy across many men while the women wouldn't resist having him by their side.

And yet, as confident as Captain Unohana was, whenever she thought about one of the girls she had heard talk about Ichigo actually being the one he chose to stay by her side had caused her heart to clench slightly.

It all greatly bewildered Unohana. She didn't even know Ichigo as much as his friends knew him and yet, her heart resisted this vigorously to the thoughts that her mind conjured.

She didn't know why her feelings for the boy had progressed so fast during the short time she knew him.

First, he was someone she considered as an intruder, an outsider and someone who had luck on his side when he stupidity stormed the Soul Society in an attempt to rescue Rukia.

Then, those negative emotions were changed and instead, she considered him as an interesting, determined guy who wouldn't stop until his friends were all safe, even when it meant to disobey the strongest Shinigami among the ranks of the Gotei Thirteen.

And then... On that fateful day at Hueco Mundo, her small interest in Ichigo that was created upon hearing how he disobeyed the Head Captain with no fear and the praises he received from her fellow Captains and their Vice-Captains had increased two folds into an interest that transcended far beyond the simple need to know more.

In the Bar, they spent the previous night at Unohana understood that the answer to all the mysteries that surrounded Ichigo that she was dying to solve revolved around a particular event that happened in his past. An event that changed his life forever, and now that she knew what to search for she would stop at nothing.

But it didn't stop there for Unohana; she knew that she also desired the boy physically, but she didn't understand the full extent of that lust until their talk last night.

The moment she got close to him and whispered her good luck wishes in his ear with a seductive voice had made her shiver with ecstasy, and to her nether region to feel warm and wet.

How his breathing had tingled her neck even for just a few moments had generated reactions from her body that she would forever want to relive.

The sheer amount of muscularity and power that his aura and smell produced, an amount that only continued to intensify the closer she got to him had overwhelmed Unohana's senses entirely.

His eyes that showed that despite his young age their owner had seen his fair share of tragedy in his life... Eyes that showed so much maturity had left Unohana both impressed and a bit saddened as she thought that the reason behind this maturity that his eyes held wasn't from a happy experience as she hoped.

But it wasn't until after their conversation when she was alone in her room that Unohana's mind had experienced the enlightenment that her heart had already experienced.

When she got back to her room the arousal that Ichigo had caused her didn't leave her system for a long time, so she had decided to pleasure herself while her thoughts had filled the space between her legs with Ichigo's manly figure revealed in its full glory.

But it was at that moment that she realized exactly what she felt for the boy, and it dawned on her in quite a peculiar way.

Instead of dreaming about Ichigo satisfying her lust over and over again, the thing that caused her to reach her peak was the thoughts about Ichigo being her lover. How he stood by her side, how he embraced, caressed, and comforted her when things were rough, how he kissed her and lifted her high into the air when things were bright... But like everything else in life, this was just the beginning and as her thoughts progressed even further the amount of pleasure and happiness she felt coursing through her body intensified even more.

Being protected by Ichigo the same way his friends were, being cared for by Ichigo the same way his friends were, being around Ichigo as much as his friends were... Those were the last thoughts Unohana mind had conjured before it went blank in euphoria as she reached her peak.

Only when she recovered from her intense session did she spend the time to actually figure out why her thoughts of Ichigo were about being engaged in a loving relationship with him and not a purely physical relationship like she had initially thought that she desired. Only then her mind had finally found the ground that her heart had been standing on for quite some time now.

Only then Unohana Retsu had realized that she loved Ichigo Kurosaki and desired more than anything else to have a loving relationship with the boy that captured her curiosity, awakened her arousal like none other, occupied an ample space in her mind, and possessed her heart.

She wanted to know how it felt being the one who got protected and not the one who protects. She wanted to know how it felt being the one comforted and not the one who comfort. She wanted to know how it felt being the subject of worry and not the one who worried. She wanted to know how it felt to have someone who could help her get rid of the many burdens she had instead of being the one who helped others get rid of theirs.

She wanted to be equally loved in return instead of being the only one who loved; she wanted someone who could contain even her part that caused many Shinigami to run for their lives, someone who wouldn't mock her when she revealed her weaknesses, and someone who wouldn't run away when she would be ready to speak about the horrors of her past.

And she was sure with all her heart that Ichigo answered for everything she wished for in a man.

During her hundreds of years among the Shinigami at Soul Society, she had never seen someone so innocent, so pure, and so kind like Ichigo was, and now that she did finally meet someone like that she wanted to be with him more than anything.

Unohana had made her mind that after the fight she would be the one who initiated instead of waiting for the dense Ichigo to realize her hints; something she knew for certain would never happen.

But, things didn't go quite according to Unohana's resolve as she was awakened from her daze by many earsplitting gasps and screams of terror.

Only when she focused back on the fight at hand did her eyes widen in complete horror when she saw what happened.

There stood Ichigo with Kenpachi's sword stuck deep within his chest all the way to his back where it's tip had come out before Kenpachi had pushed the sword so it would slice all the way down to Ichigo's stomach.

At that moment, Unohana Retsu had felt for the first time the feeling of true despair caused by a heartbreak as her resolve, alongside her heart had crumbled down upon seeing the critical injury that the only boy she loved had suffered. An injury that she wasn't even sure she would be capable of healing.

* * *

 _ **AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review! And I'll see you in the next chapter!**_

 _ **Now, I know some of you won't be pleased for how Unohana and Ichigo's relationship had developed in this chapter, and I understand that but remember that I always have a reason behind the things I write in my story even if it doesn't look like this so keep that in mind. I also ask you to remain civil if you choose to leave a review about your distaste towards the development and etc.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the third chapter of "Healing What Is Broken." I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed! I also want to thank you for remaining civil in your reviews which are something I really appreciate and I hope it'll remain that way._**

 ** _Now, I want to apologize for the delay in the release of this chapter but I was really busy, and there were things that hindered my progress in writing this chapter._**

 ** _As some of you know writing fights is not my strong side and is something that I struggle to do which is also one of the reasons for the delay of this chapter. I think that the fight I wrote is average and I know that you expected a badass fight and I really wanted to deliver on that but I think that I might have failed (in my opinion at least). Regardless, I hope that you'll like the end results even if it did not meet your expectations._**

 ** _As usual, expect OOC and AU to some extent. Also, as I said in the last chapter, the fic will contain manga spoilers regarding Unohana's past and Ichigo's Zangetsu so be aware of that._**

 ** _Now, without further ado, here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"Talking."

 **"Zanpakutō / Hollow talking."**

 _'Thoughts.'_

 _"Quotation."_

*Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing*

 ** _(Flashback and time skips_ _)_**

 _ **"Attacks /**_ **Zanpakutō release** _ **."**_

* * *

"Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, begin!" Upon hearing Shinji both Ichigo and Kenpachi wasted no time as they both lunged at each other.

The sound of swords colliding resounded through the training ground as Ichigo and Kenpachi struggled to overcome the other's defenses in their power struggle.

"Haha, that's more like it!" Kenpachi remarked in satisfaction as he flashed Ichigo his infamous grin.

As the struggle between the two powerhouses continued those, who observed the fight had their eyes glued to the interlocked swords as they awaited with baited breath for someone to finally overcome the other.

Most of the Shinigami knew both of the fighters, and while they knew of Ichigo's actions in the Winter War, they also knew of Kenpachi's strength and the time he spent training while Ichigo lived his life without his powers.

He was the Substitute Shinigami who won the Winter War. He was their hero and their savior, but at the same time, he was also a human who had no access to his powers for the last two years. This fact alone caused many of the Shinigami who adored Ichigo to start and doubt his chances of emerging victorious in this fight.

"Do you think he could actually pull this off?" Rose, who was among the crowd, asked Shinji in curiosity and a bit of hope in his voice.

While the blonde Captain of the Third Division didn't have a particularly close relationship with the orange-haired Shinigami, he did come to appreciate him since he first saw him step into their hideout with the hopes that they could teach him to hone the powers of his Hollow.

Ever since he noticed that the Substitute Shinigami was someone that could not be ignored. His undying determination, his strength, his actions, and most importantly, the fact that he was nothing more than a mere human brought for the Vizards respect for Ichigo.

Rose wasn't among the biggest fans of this fight as he and other Captains tried to persuade the Head Captain to call off this fight in fear of a loss of life. Yet, he couldn't deny the fact that his respect for Ichigo grew when he heard the reasoning behind Ichigo's agreement to fight against Kenpachi.

This was the sole difference that made most of the Shinigami to hope that Ichigo would be the one to win. He fought for the right reasons; he fought to protect and to preserve while his opponents fought to harm and destroy and in Kenpachi's case just for fun.

It's much easier to take lives rather than save them and because of that Ichigo managed to overpower even Aizen in his fights. He fought a harder battle; he fought to protect while Aizen did nothing but take lives with no mercy.

"I... I don't know; I hope that bastards win," Shinji replied in anxiety, his eyes never leaving the forms of the two Shinigami who fought.

"I hope s-!" Rose started to say but was cut midway when the sound of flash step was heard which caused everyone to refocus their attention on the fight.

Upon focusing on the fight again, they noticed that Kenpachi stayed in his spot while Ichigo now retreated to the position he was in when the fight had started.

* * *

"T-That bastard! Just how strong is he?" Ichigo grumbled as he slowly regained his breath. All the while his eyes were focused solely on Kenpachi's now laughing form.

He knew that Kenpachi was a force to be reckoned with, even more than that, but he also knew that he was more than capable of defeating the Captain as he did back when they invaded Soul Society.

From that day both Ichigo and Kenpachi continued to grow in power, and while their own strength continued to increase the difference, they had between each other remained untouched.

Now, with his powers recently restored he was more than dubious about his chances to defeat Kenpachi in battle. But even if he couldn't emerge victorious from this fight one thing was certain for Ichigo, and that was that until the last of his breaths he would do anything to prevent Kenpachi from harming his friends.

As he finished to regain his breath, Ichigo wasted no time and immediately rushed at Kenpachi once again.

But unlike the last time, now as he rushed at Kenpachi, who was ready to intercept Ichigo's attack once again, and when he was a mere centimeter from him, he smirked before he disappeared only to appear behind Kenpachi before he slashed the Captain's back.

"Haha, now that's a fight!" Kenpachi gleefully said as he spun around to meet Ichigo. Blood was coming out from the vicious slash on his back.

Upon seeing his strategy working Ichigo realized that the only way he could win against Kenpachi was if he continued to use his speed against Kenpachi instead of trying to win against him in power struggles.

That was a difference between the two Shinigami's that slipped from Ichigo's mind entirely. He was someone who possessed more speed than power, unlike Kenpachi who was mostly using his sheer power and spiritual pressure than his speed.

There was only one flaw in Ichigo's plan, and that flaw was the fact that Kenpachi possessed a massive resistance to damage and a beastly stamina. While his strategy could work, it would take him a really long time until Kenpachi would be exhausted or hurt to the point where he could no longer fight, and with his own stamina, he was doubtful that he could reach this stage without him being exhausted first.

Ichigo didn't spare Kenpachi even a slight display of emotions and as he was about to flash step back to his initial position Ichigo found himself struggling against Kenpachi as he tried to launch an attack of his own against Ichigo.

It took Ichigo everything he had at that moment, but in the end, he managed to deflect Kenpachi's attack for enough time for him to flash step away from him.

And so, Ichigo continued to dodge Kenpachi's attacks with his speed and land more and more attacks on the Captain be it via his use of flash step or his evasion of Kenpachi's attempts to force him into a power struggle again.

But Ichigo's luck didn't last for long, and before he realized it, Kenpachi had managed to land an attack of his own on Ichigo's abdomen which caused the orange-haired to hiss in pain.

While it was the first lethal attack, Kenpachi managed to land on him the strength of this attack and the damage it inflicted on Ichigo's easily matched the same damage that ten of his own attacks did to Kenpachi.

That worried Ichigo greatly because he was sure that if Kenpachi would continue to land attacks on him like this one, then the fight would be over sooner than he wanted it to be.

He reached the conclusion that if he wanted to win against Kenpachi than he needed more than just flash steps and so, he raised his sword up into the air as he gathered spiritual pressure into it before he brought it down.

 _ **"Getsuga Tenshō"**_ Ichigo cried as he launched his attack at Kenpachi, who managed to dodge most of the attack with the exception of his hand.

"Now you're talking!" Kenpachi had said in excitement before he lunged at Ichigo again as if the damage he just sustained hindered him none.

Their swords clashed once again as the two Shinigami fought for dominance, but once again both were not able to overcome each other which resulted in them retreating to their previous positions.

Ichigo took this brief breather to regain his breath while Kenpachi was busy gleefully laughing about his fight with him and the fact that he was finally fighting against someone who posed him a challenge.

As the attack collided with Kenpachi and the sound of the impact resounded through the training ground, everyone waited with baited breaths for the results of Ichigo's attack. Most of the Shinigami knew about Kenpachi's insane endurance in fights and the odds of an attack of the same caliber as Ichigo's _"Getsuga Tenshō"_ not making much of an impact on Kenpachi. They eagerly waited because they were curious if Ichigo's attack could've done damage to Kenpachi now that Ichigo was noticeably stronger than before. They didn't know much about Ichigo's current powers, and the only information they did have about it was from those who were present during the confrontation with the Fullbringers, and thus they were eager to know more about Ichigo's powers.

But while the Shinigami knew about Kenpachi, Ichigo's friends were not so knowledgeable about the battle-maniac Captain and his insane endurance in fights so when they saw Ichigo's attack hit its target they were certain that heavy damage was caused to the Eleventh Division Captain.

 _ **"Getsuga Tenshō"**_ Ichigo attacked once again, managing to land a direct hit on Kenpachi which caused for the area around the Captain to slightly decimate as dust from the destruction filled the area around him.

"Hahaha, I've never felt so alive!" Kenpachi's voice boomed through the training ground as his form was slowly starting to get more and more visible as the dust from the attack cleared.

When the dust finally settled, and Kenpachi's form was fully revealed all the Shinigami in the area widened their eyes when they saw the deep gash that now adorned the Captain's chest.

Ichigo smirked when he saw the damage his attack inflicted on Kenpachi and wasted no time before he rushed at him again with the hope that he could inflict more cuts like this on Kenpachi.

As he rushed at him, Ichigo noticed that Kenpachi adorned a smirk of his own and once Ichigo greatly reduced the distance between them he realized the reason behind that smirk as Kenpachi swiftly lifted his sword in order to land it on him once he got close enough.

While Kenpachi's counterattack could've spelled the end for the fight, Ichigo scoffed, flash stepping away when Kenpachi was mere centimeters away from his hitting zone; he appeared safely and landed a vicious slash on the Captain's side.

But much to Ichigo's dismay, Kenpachi didn't seem to be affected by the attack and quickly spun around so he could try to land an attack of his own on Ichigo, who managed to defend himself which caused the two to be locked in a brief power struggle once again.

"I didn't expect to use it, but I can't say that I'm not happy to use it," Kenpachi said as his hand grasped his eyepatch.

Everyone who saw this instantly frowned as a single thought flashed through the minds of everyone who watched the fight.

 _'This is going to end badly.'_

Ichigo, for his part, found himself frowning deeply. As the fight went on Ichigo slowly started to realized more and more that his odds against Kenpachi were not as big as he initially thought so, he was hopeful that Kenpachi wouldn't take off his eyepatch anytime soon, so Ichigo's odd won't continue to decrease. But as he saw Kenpachi's hand already starting to remove his eyepatch he realized that his odds just astronomically decreased. He knew that he still had a way to emerge victorious against Kenpachi, but he was very reluctant to use... That, especially after the dream he had. He was clueless as to what might happen if he used his Hollow powers again especially with his Hollow finally regaining his lost chance to take over his body. It was a risk Ichigo was not willing to take because it could endanger the very same thing he currently fought for: The safety of his friends.

*Gasp!* As Kenpachi tore off his eyepatch, everyone found themselves gasping from the heavy spiritual pressure that came crashing down on them. Unseated and seated officers alike found themselves on the verge of losing consciousness. Only a lucky few from the seated ranks managed to stay conscious, but their breathing became much harder that some preferred to dive into unconsciousness. The Vice-Captains were the same, but their breathing was less difficult due to their own spiritual pressure being able to lessen the effects of Kenpachi's own slightly. The only ones at the training ground who were not affected by the burst of spiritual pressure were the Captains who just felt the weight of it crashing down on them but did nothing to impede them.

"You... Bastard!" Ichigo snarled between pants as a burning sensation continued to throb trough his lungs with each breath he took.

With great difficulty, Ichigo managed to stretch his hand forward as he gathered spiritual pressure of his own. A smirk was plastered on the face of the Captains and some of the Vice-Captains when they saw the familiar posture.

 ** _"Bankai!"_ ** And with the familiar call Ichigo's spiritual pressure, just like Kenpachi's, came crashing down on everyone.

 _ **"Tensa Zangetsu,"** _ Ichigo said when the burst of violently swirling spiritual pressure faded and revealed him in his familiar coat and black sword.

"This is going to end now!" Ichigo bellowed at Kenpachi, a frown adorning his face as he saw the sickening grin of Kenpachi widen from the release of his Bankai.

"Now this is what I call fun! Come, boy! Show me that luck wasn't the only thing that gave you your win last time," Kenpachi taunted as he readied his sword for Ichigo's upcoming strike.

And just like that, a blur was seen where Ichigo had previously stood before the sound of swords clashing with each other resounded through the training ground.

* * *

"Something is not right," Uryū muttered as he adjusted his glasses.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Orihime asked in perplexion as she heard Uryū silent muttering.

The Quincy frowned slightly at being heard but still answered Orihime's question.

"He isn't using his full strength. It took him this long to release his Bankai despite knowing that nothing else will manage to beat Kenpachi. Usually, Kurosaki can tell in advance that he'll need his Bankai so he release it early on but this time it's different. It's as if he is... Afraid of releasing his powers," He said much to Orihime's astonishment.

"Afraid? Are you sure? I never knew Ichigo could be afraid of something. He always seemed so... Fearless,"

"Sadly, I am confident in that, but the debate still stands as to why exactly he is afraid of using his powers. Especially when the situation is dire as it is now," Uryū replied as he averted his gaze from the progressing fight onto Orihime's shocked face.

"I know that this was surprising for you Inoue considering how Kurosaki never showed fear even when we came to Hueco Mundo to save you we could only see his resolve to rescue you and not even the tiniest traces of fear,"

"Y-Yeah..."

* * *

Meanwhile, as Orihime and Uryū finished their talk a similar discussion had started not far from them.

"What the hell? Since when Ichigo became such a wuss?" Renji asked.

"Something is wrong..." Rukia said as she held her chin, ignoring Renji's remark.

Upon noticing the lack of reply from Renji, she spared him a glance and saw his curious expression which inched her to continue.

"Ichigo is always brash when it comes to fighting even if the opponent was stronger than him, but now... Now it looks as if he is calculating his every move. It looks like he tries his best to end the fight as fast as possible without using all of his powers. It looks as if he is hiding something," Rukia explained much to Renji's surprise.

"That strawberry hiding something? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is then it's something that Ichigo wants to avoid as much as possible which means a lot considering who are we talking about,"

"Heh, I guess you're right. Let's just continue to watch the fight to see what tricks the strawberry pulls from his sleeves," Renji said with a smug grin before he and Rukia focused back on the fight.

But the sight they were met with caused them both to gasp in horror as similar gasps followed shortly after.

* * *

 ** _"Getsuga Tenshō"_ ** Ichigo bellowed as the red and black spiritual pressure from the attack rushed toward the grinning Kenpachi.

Those who watched held their breath as the attack collided with its target and demolished more of the ground around him; making their sight of him obscure yet once again.

But as the dust from the debris cleared they saw Kenpachi with his clothes now fully in tatters as his body adorned new injuries that did not seem to hinder the Captain in any way.

Kenpachi had smirked before he lunged at Ichigo as the two fought for dominance once again.

This went on for a while as the two constantly found themselves in the same struggle for dominance with each of them breaking up once in a while to launch their own attacks, so their victory will be one step closer.

Everyone who watched started to become impatient with the repetitiveness of the fight especially Ichigo, who wanted this fight to end already. But in one of their struggle something happened, something that sent the observers of the fight into a state of shock upon seeing the new development of the fight.

As Ichigo went to strike Kenpachi again, the latter smirked before he dodged it by stepping to his left side, which surprised Ichigo as well as he did not expect Kenpachi to dodge his attack considering it was the first time he did so instead of taking it heads on. But as Ichigo's mind attempted to come up with a solution to his newfound position the train of thought that went through it came to a harsh halt as something pierced his chest.

He looked down at the intruding object only to widen his eyes in shock as he saw Kenpachi's sword stuck deep within his chest before the searing pain he felt intensified as Kenpachi's blade traveled downward until it reached his stomach.

He slowly lifted his head up from the horrid scene of his impaled body onto the face of the attacker already knowing what he will see on his face. But upon looking at the face of Kenpachi Ichigo deeply frowned as he saw that Kenpachi's grin, despite being the same as it always was, now had an entirely different emotion behind it. This was the grin of a victorious man and not of one who felt joy.

"Tch! This was a good fight, but I expected more from you Ichigo. Why didn't you use that mask of yours?" Kenpachi asked, his tone showing his slight disappointment from the fight as he knew Ichigo had not used the full extent of his powers.

Ichigo opened his mouth to retort but couldn't as he found himself spewing blood from his mouth onto the remains of Kenpachi's clothes.

Slowly, the scene around Ichigo began the fade as the blackness that clouded his vision since the moment he was impaled continued to grow at a rapid pace.

The gasps of horror repeated once again when they saw the impaled form of Ichigo going limp on Kenpachi's sword; signaling the death of their hero.

Soon the training grounds were filled with all the Captains who quickly extracted Ichigo's body from Kenpachi's sword and laid him on the grass as Isane came rushing to heal the orange-haired substitute after seeing her Captain petrified to her spot with an expression she never saw on her Captain's face before.

 _'Captain...'_ She wistfully thought to herself knowing that her Captain, for some reason, was too shocked to help her, hoping that she would soon come back from her state so she could help her with the healing.

The Captains all anxiously watched as the Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division attempted to heal Ichigo, hoping that the hero who laid on the ground will not succumb to death after everything he has done for them.

It wasn't long after Isane had begun healing that Ichigo's friends got over their shock and rushed to their friend's side, but upon arriving and getting a closer look at his form, they felt as if the horror they felt upon seeing the scene from afar had risen to new levels entirely.

The wound... It was so gruesome that Orihime and Rukia found themselves sobbing at seeing their loved one this injured. Their sobs were replaced by nausea as they all noticed the faint traces of Ichigo's internal organs slightly showing from his injuries behind the pools of blood that constantly came gushing out of the wounds.

Time went by, how much no one knew as they were all staring with unspoken hope at Isane, who continued to heal Ichigo, despite her ever-growing fatigue, as Orihime was too shocked to even move let alone blink as her eyes continued to look at Ichigo's form. Some of the Captains who got over their shock attempted to bring back Orihime and Unohana from their stupor so they could heal Ichigo with their abilities. But they all knew whether it was deep within their heart or on their mind that even Orihime's god-like powers or Unohana's healing prowess would not be able to heal their orange-haired savior.

They could all feel it, coming from Ichigo's wounds were the faint traces of Kenpachi's enormous spiritual pressure. They knew the Captain probably did not mean for it to happen but his spiritual pressure latched onto his sword, and upon impaling Ichigo it had invaded into his body, thus hampering any attempt of healing Ichigo even if it was not on purpose.

* * *

As he opened his eyes, he was met with nothing but abysmal darkness surrounding him.

"W-Where am I?!" He asked nervously as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Nothing, not even the faintest of responses was heard in return to his question.

"W-Why am I here?" He tried to ask again, hoping that someone would eventually reply to him.

He found his memory clouded when he tried to think of what happened prior to waking up in this endless darkness, but he couldn't remember no matter how much his mind strained to do so.

 **"Such a shame, if only you used my powers then you could've won against that disgusting giant. I gave you too many chances but this... This was the last one,"** A malicious voice resounded through the darkness which caused Ichigo to quickly spin around and scan his surroundings for any sign of the speaker.

There was something... Familiar about this voice. It was as if he heard it before, but he couldn't remember where or when.

Suddenly, a faint white glow appeared ahead of Ichigo, whose eyes were now narrowed towards it as it continued to approach the orange-haired closer and closer.

Once the light stood a fair distance from Ichigo, the latter widened his eyes in shock before he tightly gripped his head as a sharp pain entered it.

"I remember... I failed! I failed to protect them. I failed to keep my promise to protect everyone around I care about just like I failed to protect her," He said in despair as he went to his knees with his hands still gripping his head as a few lone tears escaped from his eyes as he thought of his recent failure to protect his friends and his failure to protect his mother back then.

 **"You're pathetic Kingy, I honestly expected more from you and yet here you are wailing like a little girl,"** Ichigo whipped his head up upon hearing this voice.

"You..." He growled in spite as he gazed at the bleached version of himself who had a sick grin plastered on his face.

 **"Ya probably wonder what I want, and I am sure you didn't hear me the last time, so I'll repeat it for ya just this one time since I'm in a good mood. I gave you many chances to show your worth as King but this... This was the last chance I'm going to give you. Look at yourself! You are so pathetic that you don't deserve to be called a King. If only you used my powers instead of being afraid you could've won against that disgusting piece of trash who calls himself a Captain but you didn't. You were too scared knowing I won't give it to you that easily but you forgot something Kingy. I am a part of your soul. You are me, and I am you so you dying is something I do not wish for as it will also mean the end of me. But now things are different and instead you'll have to fear the possibility of me dying and not the opposite since you will no longer be in control of your body. I will defeat you and will lock you in the depths of your inner world where not even the imposter old man will be capable of rescuing you,"** His Hollow informed him, his voice laced with malice and joy at the upcoming battle.

"Like I'll let you win! If you recall each battle ended with you on the ground while I had Zangetsu pointed at you," Ichigo scoffed as he got up.

 **"That was nothing but luck. This time ya'll need more than just luck to face off against me if you hope to win King,"** His Hollow teased as his face hardened.

"Just shut up! I'll show you the reason I kept emerging victorious from our fights so you could go back to wherever you were lingering at before you decided to bother me again," Ichigo taunted.

And so, the two had begun their fight for control over their shared body and for the title of King. None of them aware of the consequences that this fight will have in the future.

* * *

Pure silence lingered in the training grounds as everyone observed with hopeful expressions on their face the silver-haired Vice-Captain from the Fourth Division who continued to try and heal Ichigo.

They looked, but they all knew that it was hopeless. His wounds wouldn't heal even in the slightest as Kenpachi's vicious spiritual pressure continued to deflect healing kido that Isane had applied on it.

"Isane..." Her melodious voice snapped the captains out of their daze as they averted their gaze to Unohana who apparently got out of her stupor.

"C-Captain! I'm so sorry, but I couldn't heal him; there's something blocking me from healing him," The silver-haired replied in sorrow as she ceased her healing and turned to address her captain.

"It is alright Isane; you did well. I-I doubt even I could have healed him," Isane frowned as she noticed the slight stuttering of her captain as she never remembered hearing her stutter during her time as a Vice-Captain. She widened her eyes in absolute shock as she spotted something running along Unohana's cheek. A lone, barely visible tear cascaded down her cheek.

 _'Captain... Just what do you feel for the Substitute Shinigami?'_ Isane thought to herself in perplexion as she studied her captain's reaction to the death of the Substitute Shinigami.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't make sense of her reaction. She was the Captain of the Fourth Division; she had seen much death. Some were harder to cope with as those who died were comrades or patients they managed to get attached to during their stay at their barracks. Most of the time Unohana had been indifferent about it, but on some of the rarest cases, she carried a sad expression for the rest of that day but never had she reacted the same she did now. Never was she so shocked that she got stuck in a daze, never did she shed a tear for those who died as she knew better than anyone that death was something that everyone will meet eventually and the only variable is when.

She went to leave the area with her captain but before she did she quickly glanced at Ichigo once again with sorrow written on her face. Healers took pride in those they saved, and people praised them for their support especially in times of war, but none seemed to care about the anguish that each healer carries on his shoulders when he fails to save someone. No one but those in the Fourth Division will know of the sorrow that Isane was currently dealing with, sorrow that was so familiar yet so unwanted. She was sure that this failure would haunt her more than her previous ones. She failed to heal him, the hero of the Winter War, the Savior of the Soul Society. It was her that everyone looked at with hope shimmering in their eyes as she poured every ounce of her spiritual pressure into healing him.

"I'm sor-!" Isane started to say but was cut midway as a terrifying spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from Ichigo which caused those who were close to him to get thrown across the training ground.

When everyone recovered from the burst of spiritual pressure, they stared ahead with sheer terror in their eyes.

There stood Ichigo with his robes fluttering around his body as his now pure black spiritual pressure flared from him. His skin was now ashen white. The crosses of cloth that held his coat together in his Bankai form were now torn apart which gave sight to the Hollow hole that was now at the center of his chest. Black marks stretched from his hole over his chest. His hands and feets grew talons with tufts of red fur on his ankles, wrists, and neck. His feet were now bare as his transformation His hair had grown and now reached down to his waist. Last but not least, the thing that sent chills down everyone spine was the demonic mask that covered Ichigo's entire face. The mask looked nothing like the usual mask that Ichigo wore when he used his Hollow powers. This mask had two dangerously sharp long horns protruding from the front, and black markings that seemed to be flowing from the top of his head onto his eyes before they intersected and melded into the markings on his chest.

The mouth of his mask marginally parted and mist could be seen when he exhaled as if it was cold.

They all just stood there, the Shinigami staring at Ichigo with many emotions swirling in their eyes and faces while Ichigo just remained passive in his spot.

The tense atmosphere was soon shattered when a gasp was heard which caused for the Shinigami to whip their head to the source of it only for the Shinigami to frown when they saw Orihime standing there petrified even more than before with a look of sheer horror on her face. But that wasn't what caused the captains to frown. It was Orihime's look that made them react that way or rather a particular emotion that they could clearly see flashing in her eyes.

Recognition.

"I-Inoue do you recognize Ichigo's form?" Rukia asked, shaken up from the sight of the Substitute Shinigami in front of her.

"Y-Y-Yes... This is the form that Ichigo assumed when Ulquiorra killed him," Her words caused Ichigo's friends and the Captains to cringe while the rest of the Shinigami who were unfamiliar with what happened at Hueco Mundo gasped.

They all knew what happened at Hueco Mundo, Ichigo had told them that Ulquiorra had killed him and that he somehow had been brought back to life without Orihime's abilities. The captains were no fools; they knew that Ichigo knew of the way he was brought back to life and that he purposefully withheld that information from them but they could do nothing about it.

He was not under the jurisdiction of the Gotei Thirteen as he was not a part of them which meant that they could not order him to share the entirety of the information he possessed with them and doing so could put their delicate relationship with him at risk.

"C-Could you tell us how Ichigo was while in that... Form?" Rukia asked once again, still struggling to comprehend that the menacing figure in front of her was the same boy she gave her powers to all that time ago.

"Y-Yes..." And so, Orihime had quickly told everyone about the events that transpired that day on the roof of Las Noches. How Ichigo got hit by a Cero to his chest, how Orihime pleaded for him to protect him, and how he was miraculously brought back to life with the clear intention of finishing Ulquiorra off. This was where she would've liked her story to end, but she knew that the Shinigami deserved the right to know what they would be dealing with if Ichigo would turn hostile so she, begrudgingly, added the part where Ichigo threw Tensa Zangetsu at Ishida and pierced him with it.

By the time she was finished absolute silence had lingered in the training grounds as everyone was still processing what they heard; they were all in a daze. The shock was clearly written on their face as well as terror at the thoughts of having to fight Ichigo in that form while Renji, Chad, and Rukia had a look of realization when they remembered the red beam that came bursting from the artificial sky of Las Noches during their fight.

They were all snapped of their daze when Ichigo suddenly roared before he rushed at Kenpachi, who managed to defend himself from the attack.

"Haha, that is awesome! I'm glad that you had a trick up your sleeve Ichigo because the fight started to be boring before you hit the bucket," Kenpachi said, his gleeful attitude back in full force now that the fight had resumed.

The rest of the captains spent no time and were about to go to Kenpachi's aid when the latter growled at them.

"Don't even think of interrupting or Ichigo will be the less of your worries," The captains backed off and resigned into watching the fight with their swords still in their hands in case things would go wrong.

* * *

The Captain-Commander sighed in exasperation. Things, as they were right now, required their immediate involvement but at the same time, there were several factors that prevented him from ordering the captains to get involved.

One was the fact that he knew Captain Zaraki would go through with his threat when he was in the middle in a fight as the one thing that the Eleventh Division hated alongside Kido was the involvement of others in their fights.

The second reason was the most obvious one which was that his Captains and Vice-Captains were currently in disarray as well as the rest of the Shinigami who were present.

He could clearly see that some of the Captains and Vice-Captains hesitated to fight against the Kurosaki boy while some, mostly his friends, outright dreaded that option as they did not wish to fight their friends.

Some of the Captains he could understand such as Byakuya and Ukitake who both grew to respect Ichigo for his actions. But one Captain he could not understand was Unohana. She was the most experienced Captain in the Gotei Thirteen being at it from its foundation. He knows Unohana as she was under his command for a very long time and he knew her behavior rather well, and right now he was perplexed. Whenever the need to fight someone who posed a danger to the Soul Society in any way Unohana never hesitated to draw her sword even when it was people she personally knew and had a relationship of sort with them.

He found himself struggling to find a reason for Unohana's behavior. He never heard or saw the two of them interact beside the times when Unohana would attend to Ichigo when his human friend could not and their short time in the Garganta when they traveled back from Hueco Mundo to the Fake Karakura Town as he remembered from the report Unohana had made on that.

There was a possibility, but Yamamoto paid it no mind as such thing was not possible as he knew that Captain Unohana was not ill-advised and knew very well the consequences of such action.

The Captain-Commander was brought out of his pondering when he felt the spiritual pressure in the training ground suddenly spike. As he focused on the ongoing fight, he slightly opened his eyes in surprise when he saw the red ball of energy that was slowly growing between Ichigo's horns.

 _'So he can use Hollow abilities such as Cero as well,'_ He was aware that the Vizard could use Hollow abilities, but it took them a very long time to learn how to properly use them as Captain Hirako told him so seeing the Kurosaki boy using a Cero slightly surprised him.

Then again, to his knowledge the Vizards does not possess a form like that of Kurosaki Ichigo so who knows what else can he do.

* * *

Kenpachi looked at the charging Cero with excitement. For some reason, he couldn't wait to feel the power behind the attack as he deflects it with his sword.

Actually, he knew the reason pretty well. He waited for the rematch against Ichigo for a long time, and he wanted the boy to give it his all, but sadly, Ichigo perished before he felt completely satisfied from the fight. Imagine his excitement when he saw Ichigo, against all the odds, get up much stronger than he was before.

Before Ichigo had resorted to using his Hollow abilities the fight between them had remained the same as it was before Ichigo's supposed death. They slashed at each other and fought for dominance but despite being the same as before it was also entirely different.

It felt natural, as Ichigo currently had no worries like he did before the fight supposedly ended. He wasn't trying to find the best way to win against him as fast as possible so he wouldn't get exhausted against Kenpachi's monstrous stamina and spiritual pressure. The Ichigo that stood in front of him was now someone who had not even one worry on his mind; he was now a being of pure instincts, and his instincts craved the blood of Kenpachi Zaraki.

"Come boy! Show me what your new powers worth!" Kenpachi provoked which caused Ichigo to growl before he released the Cero in all its might.

And just like that, the entire training ground lit up in red as Ichigo's Cero fought against Kenpachi's spiritual pressure encased sword.

The observers all knew that it would be Ichigo's Cero who will win as they saw Kenpachi start to slightly shaking the longer the fend off continued. He was already showing signs of exhaustion when he impaled Ichigo, and now, here he was facing against a version of Ichigo which was much stronger than the normal orange-haired.

And after what seemed like forever the red that lit the training grounds as Ichigo released a victorious roar while Kenpachi was seen lying on the ground.

"H-He killed Captain Zaraki?" Renji had asked in awe before he shuddered as he fully realized the question he just asked.

If Ichigo had killed Captain Zaraki then who'll be strong enough to face against him but the Captain-Commander? He will destroy everyone who is standing in his way.

Everyone watched in pregnant silence for things to unfold. Captain Zaraki remained to lie on the ground without moving while Ichigo stood in the same position from before with his gaze towards Zaraki's place on the ground.

After seeing no movement from his enemy, Ichigo's gaze reverted to the audience whose eyes were glued to him. He just continued to stand there as he maintained the gaze of everyone before he focused on one person specifically.

He slowly made his way towards her as he ignored everything around him. He stood in front of her and gazed deeply into her eyes as if his eyes bore into her soul and there he saw it; something so familiar yet so different. He saw the pain that her eyes held, the remorse that hid behind it and the dire need to prove oneself. It was exactly like himself since his mother had died, every emotion he saw in her beautiful eyes had reminded of himself, yet he knew that the reason for her to possess such emotions in her eyes were entirely different. He did as his instincts ordered him to do and slowly lifted his hand until he placed it on her cheek and watched her response. At first, she was surprised, but then when he showed no hostility, it looked as if she melted into his touch.

"Captain Unohana!" Isane cried in fright as she saw Ichigo cupping the cheek of her Captain.

But no response came to her warning as both sides were entranced in each other gaze.

Even with his mask on and his eyes losing their familiar brown color Unohana had managed to see the very same emotions displayed within them. She recognized each and every emotion in them, and it surprised her just how much his eyes were similar to hers. The same sorrow, regret, and shame were shining in them.

 _'Just how_ _similar are we?'_

Sadly, her pondering did not last for long as all of a sudden Ichigo was harshly pulled from his shoulder by none other than Zaraki, who managed to wake up and march up to Ichigo while he and Unohana were entranced with each other.

Before anyone could respond, Kenpachi slashed Ichigo's mask with all his remaining power before he collapsed to his knee.

Ichigo just stood there as his mask slowly cracked before his ashen white face was revealed for everyone to see. He collapsed to the ground with a harsh thud as the hole in his chest got sealed off the same way it did in his fight against Ulquiorra.

Zaraki, who saw Ichigo's downfall, smirked victoriously before he too finally collapsed onto the ground.

It took barely a second until the entire ground burst into murmurs as the fight between the two powerhouses has ended.

"Isane, please attend to Captain Zaraki while I tend to Ichigo," Unohana ordered in her melodious voice.

"Yes, Captain!" Isane had replied before she started healing Zaraki enough so he could withstand transportation.

"I believe we managed to get the two of them out of immediate death, but we still need to continue our healing in the division," Unohana said as she released her Zanpakutō Minazuki so she could transport Ichigo and Kenpachi to the Fourth Division Barracks while they both received more medical attention from Minazuki's powers.

"Isane, once we reach the barracks, please take care of Zaraki's healing while I take care of Ichigo," Isane nodded in acknowledgment as the two rode on Minazuki towards their barracks.

 _'Please don't die Ichigo Kurosaki. Not when I finally found someone like you,'_


	4. Chapter 4

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the Fourth Chapter of "Healing What Is Broken."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!_**

 ** _Now, I already know that this chapter is going to be controversial and some will not be pleased with how things went in here but know that I do everything for a specific reason and never because I am lazy or such which is far from the truth._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"Talking."

 **'Zanpakutō / Hollow talking.'**

 _'Thoughts.'_

 _"Quotation."_

*Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing*

 ** _(Flashback and time skips_ _)_**

 _ **"Attacks /**_ **Zanpakutō release** _ **."**_

* * *

"Argh... Where the hell am I?" The Substitute Shinigami groaned as he woke up from his slumber, his hand clutching tightly at his aching head.

He tried looking back on what happened and frowned when nothing came to mind. His memories fogged while blurry pictures flashed in his mind.

Seeing as recalling the events that transpired bore no fruits Ichigo had instead opened his eyes and looked around the room he was in.

The sight he was met with made a deep frown to adorn his face.

The room looked like any other room in one of the Division Barracks in the Soul Society, but some features were distinctive.

White metal beds were spread across the room with folding screens spread between each bed for privacy with a small white bedside table filling the empty spot between the bed and the folding screen.

It did not require Ichigo more than few seconds to come to the realization that caused the frown he currently had to adorn his face.

He was in the Fourth Division Barracks.

Why? That he has yet to figure out as his memories were still blurry although they continued to get more clear as time went by.

The only thing that Ichigo seemed to remember slightly was a fight he had with his inner-Hollow, and that made him feel uneasy.

He took the time as he waited for more of his memories to come clearer and scanned the bedside table near him and scowled when he saw two sets of flower resting on the table.

The flowers themselves were not the reason behind his scowl rather the state they were at was.

Most of the flowers were withered while some managed to remain healthy. From what Ichigo could see the flowers were of all colors while one set had orange stand out the most while the other had white.

 _'Probably Inoue and the midget,'_ He thought as he pointed the similarities between his friends and the colors that stood out.

Orange like Inoue's hair and the color of her powers and White like Rukia's Zanpakutō and her snow.

Suddenly, a massive headache assaulted him which caused him to wince and tightly hold his head as he waited for the pain to go away.

As he did so, the fogged memories in his mind seemed to completely clear up.

His fight with Kenpachi, the disadvantage he had for most of the fight, and the finishing blow that... Killed him. He remembered it all, and he grimaced as he recalled those events.

He could not believe that he lost the fight, but that was pushed to the side as he thought about how he died once again.

Memories of his fight with Ulquiorra back at the top of Las Noches flashed through his mind. The way the Fourth Espada had pierced his chest with his Cero was something Ichigo would never forget as well as the next time he woke up only to see Ulquiorra critically wounded with Tensa Zangetsu impaled deep in Ishida's stomach.

Even today he still did not know what fully transpired that day but thanks to his Hollow he knew that he somehow transformed into a Hollow form that allowed him to be on par with Ulquiorra or perhaps even stronger than him, he did not know.

 **'I'm glad that you remember that form Kingy 'cause that wasn't the last you've seen of it thanks to you being a weak ass as you are'** The wicked voice of his Hollow sneered.

Ichigo hissed at his Hollow's words. _'What the hell are you talking about you bastard?'_

 **'Oh... I'm talking about how ya pansy died in your fight against that large piece of shit and allowed me to take over and use that form again so I could teach him a much-needed lesson,'** His Hollow gleefully said, a much sicker version of Kenpachi's grin adorning his face.

Upon hearing what his Hollow told him Ichigo had widened his eyes in shock as panic took over him.

His Hollow had managed to take over and assume the same form he did in his fight against Ulquiorra. Did his Hollow hurt anyone? Did he damage the Seireitei? Or did he... Kill someone? Those were questions Ichigo had dreaded as he thought about his Hollow spreading chaos across the Seireitei for god knows how long.

His worried thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice spoke.

 **'Worry not Ichigo, from what I have seen no harm had befallen your friends although the one you fought against did suffer heavy damage,'** Zangetsu spoke, his tone soothing Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed in relief. _'Thanks, old man Zangetsu, that bastard's lucky he did not harm anyone but Kenpachi too much or else I'll be down there kicking his ass again,'_ He abhorred his Hollow with a threat.

His answer was a scoff from his Hollow. **'Pfff, I would like to see you try. Your luck will not last forever Kingy, and the second it runs out I'll be knocking on your door,'**

Luckily for Ichigo, his bickering with his Hollow was abruptly interrupted when the door to his room had opened and a figure stepped inside.

"It seems that you are finally awake Ichigo, I was starting to get worried," The melodious voice of Unohana spoke as she neared his bed.

Ichigo fought off the blush that threatened to spread over his cheeks. "T-Thank you Captain Unohana, but why did you worry? I wasn't out for a long time was I?" He nervously asked.

"Oh, you were out for three whole days Ichigo. Your friends had started to become restless, but luckily you are now awake and with that, the restlessness of your friends should stop. I myself was quite worried as I expected you'll be awake after two days and not three," She frowned.

"Three days?! Just how bad was I injured?" He asked in bewilderment.

"I'm afraid you were injured quite badly. The large slash Captain Zaraki had inflicted on you was rather gruesome, and your chance of your survival was quite low and the injuries you sustained afterward only decreased your chance,"

Ichigo scowled when Unohana mentioned the wounds he sustained after he was impaled by Kenpachi. Those wounds were made to him while in his Hollow form without him even having a memory of them or everything that happened during that time.

As if she read his mind Unohana had spoken. "Forgive me for my intrusion but would you tell me what was the form you assumed after Captain Zaraki had inflicted his finishing blow on you?"

Ichigo tensed but spoke none the less, knowing full well that if it was not Unohana who asked then it would be the Head Captain and he would rather deal with the Captain of the Fourth Division than that old man.

Upon thinking about it for a bit Ichigo realized that out of all the Captains Unohana, Toshiro, Kyoraku, and Ukitake were his favorite in that order.

Those Captains were among the few who showed him kindness and did not look down on the fact that he was human like most of the other Captains or just did not flat out hate him like Byakuya and that weirdo Captain from the Twelfth Division.

Then there were Captains like Komamura and Soi-Fon who cared little about him and the Vaizards who he still had trouble to consider Captains seeing as how he was still used to how they used to be when they trained him in the abandoned warehouse.

The talk he had with Unohana had yet to leave his mind especially the last part of the conversation that left him dumbstruck and blushing heavily.

None the less she was the only Captain who approached him to warn him about Kenpachi and show her support for him despite her odd ways of showing it and for that Ichigo was very grateful. There were many mysteries behind the girl known as Unohana Retsu, and the more Ichigo thought about it, the more entranced he became.

Oddly enough his Hollow was quiet this time which was very unlike him seeing as whenever his thoughts drifted to one of his female friends his Hollow would always tease him.

He was half-tempted to ask his Hollow why he was quiet but he quickly shrugs it off seeing as he never wants to be the one to initiate a conversation with that bastard.

The reason for why Ichigo liked Ukitake and Kyoraku was because they were nice and always sociable to him as if he was a full-part Shinigami and did not treat him any different because of his origins.

Toshiro, on the other hand, he liked because he knew that despite his cold exterior, underneath Toshiro was still a child in heart and when ignoring his cold attitude he found his company to be pleasant like when they were stationed in the living world when the Arrancars appeared. There was also Karin who told him about the Captain and how he helped her and her team with their soccer games quite often and how he seemed to visit her whenever he can. The last made Ichigo like and dislike Toshiro at the same time because while the child Captain seemed to care about his sister, he hoped it wasn't the kind of care he thought it was or otherwise he and Toshiro will have a loooong talk. He did hazily remember Karin telling him about why she can't be in a relationship with the young Captain even if she wanted to, which she vehemently denied.

The orange-haired substitute snapped back to reality when he realized that Unohana was still staring at him in anticipation as she awaited his answer. There was another thing he could spot in her eyes other than her anticipation but he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Ahh... Well, there's no easy way to explain it other than that I died from that hit and my Hollow took over and somehow that helped me to survive the attack," Unohana frowned.

"Well, I am glad that the Hollow managed to help with your condition. From what I understood from Miss Inoue this was not the first time this happened?" Her inquiry caused Ichigo to tense even more.

"Y-Yea... When I fought against the Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra, he blew a hole in my chest using his cero and it killed me. From what I know it seems that Inoue cried out for me and my Hollow responded to it by taking over and assuming that form before he killed Ulquiorra," Ichigo nervously scratched the back of his neck as he waited for Unohana's reaction.

"I see. This is an impressive ability. Your Hollow must care a lot about you if he saved your life two times already,"

 _'You have no idea how wrong you are...'_ He sweatdropped.

"Now, I would like to examine you to see how your injuries are so if you may remove your shirt so I could get a better look at the injuries," Unohana request.

Ichigo looked a little startled from the request but complied none the less as he knew that should he not comply Unohana's spooky face will make an appearance and Ichigo did not want that.

Once he took his shirt he heard Unohana inhale sharply which caused him to blush slightly as he became slightly self-conscious.

Unohana for her part fought to hide the blush that threatened to spread across her cheeks when she saw Ichigo's body.

His body was one that Unohana could only describe as that of a god of war. Well-toned muscles of his arms pulsed with every move he made while his chiseled chest rose with each breath he took.

She grimaced when she saw the many scars on his body. Such a young boy yet his body tells an entirely different story.

Unohana quickly shook herself out of her daze as to not make Ichigo uncomfortable with her gawking that to her luck he had yet to spot and examined his body.

The moment Ichigo felt the hands of the Fourth Division Captain touch his body he shivered in what felt like pleasure. Those hands were so soft, and the touch was so tender, yet it would sometimes become coarse. In a way, her touch described Unohana's character perfectly.

His cheeks turned a much heavier shade of crimson the longer her hands lingered on his body, and his mind seemed to numb from time to time when her touch was too much for it. If he would've paid attention, he would've realized that Unohana had long since finished her examination and just continued to touch him.

After what seemed like forever Unohana's hands had left Ichigo's body which made him scowl briefly before he shook it off and awaited the Captain's evaluation of his condition.

"From what I could see your condition is quite good. Your injuries seemed almost to be entirely healed, but I would insist that you stay here for another night so you could rest and allow your injuries to heal completely," She spoke as she flashed Ichigo a kind smile.

He wanted to refuse as he felt fine but he knew what would await him should he do so so he crossed his hand and mumbled his acceptance.

Unohana smiled, happy that the orange-haired agreed to stay out of his own will and did not have to be convinced to stay.

She debated with herself about what she should do, biting her lips as she considered each option. Should she ask him what was weighing on her mind or should she push that back and ask him sometime in the future?

Now was a good chance for her to ask but she was unsure as Ichigo had already shared much with her when he spoke about his Hollow and what happened in his fight against the Fourth Espada.

"Ichigo, may I ask you something that I have been wondering about?" She asked, her internal conflict already decided.

"Sure, what is it Captain Unohana?"

"Why is it that you are so adamant in protecting your friends? You seemed to care very little about your life whenever someone you know and have a bond with are being threatened," Ichigo was caught off-guard by Unohana's question and scowled as he remembered that day in the river.

"I... I don't want to talk about it, but I consider you a friend I can trust, so I'll tell you," His expression soften. He did not know why but he already considered Unohana as something akin to a dear friend, and he felt that he should tell her about his mother.

"When I was little my mother was the center of my universe. Whenever I was feeling down from being beaten by my friend Tatsuki in our karate class just seeing my mother when she waited for me at the entrance made me feel much better. But one day, when we returned from the karate dojo after another class something happened. I saw a girl almost drowning in a river on our way home and went to help her despite my mother warning me not too, and then everything went black. The next thing I remember is lying on the ground with my mother on top of me, limp and unresponsive. At first, I thought she was sleeping so I tried to nudge her awake but I after a few minutes I realized that was not the case and when I did my whole world seemed to crumble down. That day I made a vow to myself to atone for the failure of protecting my mother and finally fulfill the meaning behind my name even if it costs me my own life," By the time Ichigo had finished Unohana was close to tears.

That boy... He suffered so much yet he does not hold a grudge against the world. Instead, he does his very best not to allow anything like what happened to his mother to repeat to another person he cares about. That boy is truly something special.

"I-I'm really sorry Ichigo, I did not know. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable," Not really knowing what to say, Unohana apologized in a shaky voice.

"It's okay don't worry about it. Although I do have something to ask you as well Captain Unohana,"

"Hmm? What is it you wish to ask?"

"Back when you warned me about Kenpachi I saw something that made me wonder. I saw the same pain and sadness I have when you tried to intimidate me with your creepy smile. I don't know what happened to you that caused you to shoulder the same feelings as I do but because of that, I felt kind of close to you. Despite not knowing you that well there's something that makes me feel as if you are a very dear friend to me that I could trust, but most importantly you understand me seeing as you feel the same sorrow I do. I wanted to know what was it that caused you to become like this?" Ichigo's heartfelt confession made Unohana's eyes widen in shock.

That confession was the last thing Unohana had needed to know that Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami, and the guy she fell in love with was indeed something special. Over the course of the years Unohana had met many people man and women alike and had her fair share of dating - although the best her dating had reached was a second date - but no one had ever seemed to notice the feelings she hid beneath the surface. Whenever she used her infamous smile people would bolt out of the room covered with sweat, but none had ever managed to look behind the smile. Most saw it as a tool the Captain used to get what she desired while others thought of it as the way the pacifist Captain spread panic and fear without fighting. Perhaps it was one of the reasons, or perhaps it was only one, but one thing was sure and that there was more behind the infamous smile than a mean to get things or to spread fear and panic even if those two were also a part of it.

"I-I'm sorry but I cannot talk about it... Not now at least," Unohana replied, her voice slightly shaking.

Ichigo's expression briefly fell before it returned to being neutral.

"I see. It must be something harsh. Don't worry I won't push you to speak about it I'll just wait until you're ready," Ichigo told her tenderly, his tone showing the sincerity behind his words.

"T-Thank you,"

Silence lingered in the room afterward as both Ichigo and Unohana had no idea what to say. While Ichigo maintained a steady gaze on the wall in front of him Unohana's gaze was set downward as she contemplated on her next actions.

She was delighted that she managed to learn as much as she did about Ichigo and to hear him say that he considered her as a close friend enough to confide her with such information made her heart flutter but she did not want it to end there. No, Unohana was not that kind of woman. She would not settle for anything below what she desired unless the odds were truly against her and it did not look like it in Ichigo's case.

A few minutes had passed before Unohana had steeled herself enough to follow through with her intentions. True, she was a very old soul who had experienced much in her life but whenever it came to matters of the heart Unohana Retsu had always felt like she was nothing more than a young adult in this area. Being the Captain of the Fourth Division was something that taxed her greatly in many ways. One of those taxes that burdened Unohana was the loneliness that accompanied her job. She was a girl, and no girl wanted to be lonely but serving as a Captain did not give her the privilege of pursuing a love interest. Between saving life and serving the Gotei Thirteen as she did for most of her life in the Soul Society between going to dates with men in order to vanquish the loneliness she preferred the former. True, she did try to date when the loneliness was hard to bear, but it always ended the same. It always was some Shinigami who wanted nothing more than to get into her pants and then gloat to his friends that he had sex with the beautiful Captain of the Fourth Division. Of course, she never did allow anyone that privilege which is why she had not been sexually active for a very long time.

"Ichigo I apologize for the intrusion once again but may I ask you another question?" Unohana voice snapped Ichigo from his daze.

"Sure what is it Captain Unohana?"

"Are you in some sort of a relationship with Orihime Inoue or perhaps another human?" Ichigo's cheeks turned crimson in embarrassment.

"N-N-No..."

"I see," Unohana said, her melodious tone not betraying any of her emotions or intentions.

Slowly she got up which alarmed Ichigo as he wondered if perhaps he said something wrong that caused Unohana to leave.

But Unohana did not leave as Ichigo thought. No, she stood still and gazed intently at Ichigo's eyes while The tip of her tongue unconsciously licked her plump lips before she did something that caught Ichigo completely off-guard.

She leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss was chaste but also one that allowed Ichigo to know what Unohana felt. It was passionate, full of adoration and also lust.

The feeling of Unohana's full and plush lips on top of his sent shivers of pure pleasure down his spine while the emotions he sensed behind the kiss made his mind go haywire.

But Ichigo's current state did not stop him from reacting to the kiss, and that's what he did as he returned the kiss with equal passion as he as well allowed Unohana a rare peek into the emotions he did his very best to hide from the world. He did not know what took over him at that moment as his mind was still in chaos from the kiss but when he returned it, he felt a feeling he never felt before. He felt whole. He felt as if he finally accepted a part of him he never accepted before.

The Captain widened her eyes in return before bliss took over her and caused her to close her eyes and moan as soft trembles of pleasure took over her.

They did not know how long the kiss had lasted. Be it seconds, minutes, or hours it did not matter as for them it felt as if it ended too soon.

"C-Captain Unohana?" Ichigo asked in bewilderment after regaining his breath.

Their cheeks were flushed and they breathed ruggedly as they continued to look each other in the eye with the only thing now connecting them was a thin trail of saliva.

Unohana had giggled before she spoke. "Why I did not think that the act of kissing no longer spoke for itself. Perhaps it's been too long since I used such a mean to express what I want,"

"I will say it bluntly Ichigo. I. Want. You. You were always the subject of my thoughts in one way or another before it turned to what it currently is. Like you said to be not too long ago. I look at you and see the same thing I know so well about myself. I never came across a man such as yourself. A man so kind and forgiving but at the same time extremely fierce when needed. Ever since you and your friends had invaded the Seireitei in order to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, I had found myself interested in you. In Hueco Mundo, as we traveled back through the Garganta I was awed by the amount of spiritual pressure you had as you explained to me the meaning behind your Bankai's coat. But recently my feelings for you had become much more than just lust. They turned into love as I really looked at the man whose body made me wet on more than one occasion. I looked from aside as you went to great lengths to protect your friends. How you invaded the Seireitei to save Kuchiki Rukia, how you infiltrated Hueco Mundo in order to rescue Orihime Inoue, and how you sacrificed the powers you worked so hard to achieve in order to promote the safety of everyone around you. Everyone has a tiny bit of selfishness in them, but when I look at you, it is as if you do not possess even that tiny fraction. My dreams turned from ones where I imagined you taking me into dreams of me having a loving relationship with you," She spoke while Ichigo continued to look at her. His eyes widened with each sentence.

"I want to finally know how it feels to be the one who is protected instead of being the one who protects. I want to know how it is to be rescued instead of being the one who rescues. I want to be the subject of someone's worries instead of someone being the subject of mine. I want to know how it feels to have someone to help you get rid of your burdens instead of being the one who helps. I think about a man who will be able to give me all of that. A man who will be able to love me for who I am even when I tell him my most horrible secrets and my mind always conjure your picture," Unohana confessed, her voice never wavering as she told Ichigo exactly how she felt.

Unohana was never one to drag things. Whenever she saw young romance, she always frowned at how long it took the couple to confess their feelings even though it was obvious to others exactly how they felt. She knew that she loved Ichigo and she knew exactly what her opinion about the orange-haired substitute was so there was nothing that stopped her from acting on her feelings.

"I-I don't know what to say. I always thought you were an awesome Captain and an amazing person who dedicated herself to a noble cause. You are a healer but at the same time you are as much of a warrior as Kenpachi or any other Captain is when needed. You are not afraid of anything, and you have years and years of experience and wisdom. Not to mention that you are also very beautiful and gentle but also terrifying when needed. A-And when you kissed me, I was shocked, but after a second the shocked turned into a feeling I never felt before. I felt as if I was finally whole, as if I accepted a part of me that I always refused to accept before. You already know plenty about me, but I still don't know a lot about you, and I would like it if we could get to know each other more," Ichigo replied, not thinking about how he laid out his feelings out in the open for the first time in so many years.

Unohana's eyes widened in response as she listened to what Ichigo had said. When she decided to go through with confessing, she allowed her mind to think of a few reactions. She imagined Ichigo being creeped out and attempting to run, she imagined him shut down in shock, she imagined him politely reject her, and she imagined him hesitantly tell her that he is not sure what to think and that he cannot respond to her feelings at the moment. But her mind had never thought of the possibility her heart yearned for. Yet, here he was accepting her feelings and reciprocating them as well as showing his sincere desire to get to knwo her.

"S-So what does that mean?" She found herself stuttering, unsure of how to proceed from there.

"I guess we are in a relationship now aren't we? I mean I may suck at those kinds of things but I at least know that since we feel the same about each other then we are in a relationship," Ichigo said as he flashed Unohana a small smile.

Unohana just widened her eyes as if she did not believe what she heard before she cracked a wide smile at Ichigo before she claimed his lips with hers in a passionate kiss. A kiss full of love and gratitude.

"Ichigo I need to tell you something before we progress any further," Unohana told him as they broke the kiss.

"You see. A relationship between a human and a soul will not be something that others at the Soul Society will think nicely of. But the possible opinion others might have about our relationship isn't what I wanted to tell you. There is a law here that forbid any relationship between a soul and a human with death awaiting those who break it," Ichigo's eyes widen in horror.

"W-What? Are you sure about that Captain Unohana? I don't want to see you get hurt because of our relationship," He sincerely told her, causing her eyes to widen once again at how selfless this man was.

"Yes, I am sure about it Ichigo. It may be a risk, but that is a risk I am willing to take. I never felt the same thing I feel for you towards another guy. I did have a short relationship a long time ago, but it was a relationship made out of lust and the need to satisfy one's needs and not love. I am a lonely woman and being the Captain of the Fourth Divison does not allow me the privilege of dating, and even on the occasions that I did manage to date, it was always someone who wanted nothing more than to bed me and then gloat about it to his friends. I want to be with you Ichigo; you make me feel special, and you allow me to experience things I never experienced before. We'll just have to keep our relationship a secret," Unohana informed him.

"I understand. As long as you are okay with that than I am fine with that as well. And if those bastards will find out about us and will attempt to kill you then I will raze the Soul Society to the ground. After all, no one will harm those I care about," His words sent shivers down Unohana's spine as tears came to her eyes.

 _'So this is how it feels to be protected,'_

 _'Thank you, Ichigo,'_


	5. Chapter 5

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the fifth chapter of "Healing What Is Broken." I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!_**

 ** _I want to apologize for the delay in updating but I have been rather busy lately so my time spent on working on my fics was reduced and I am afraid it'll only continue to be reduced. Never the less, I will not abandon my fics even if my time working on them will reduce so worry not._**

 ** _Also, this chapter was written without the revision of my beta unlike the previous chapters so your constructive and civil reviews are much more needed for me to improve and to fix any mistakes in this chapter._**

 ** _Also, for those of you who are fans of Naruto, I am happy to say that I am working on a long one-shot for that fandom. It still has some time before being completed and it is only the first out of a few plans I have for a Naruto story. So if you're a fan look forward to that one-shot!_**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"Talking."

 **'Zanpakutō / Hollow talking.'**

 _'Thoughts.'_

 _"Quotation."_

*Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing*

 ** _(Flashback and time skips_ _)_**

 _ **"Attacks /**_ **Zanpakutō release** _ **."**_

* * *

Morning made itself known as the rays of the luminous sun has penetrated through the gap of the closed green curtains, and the sound of birds and footsteps resounded outside.

For many, it was a morning like any other, but for two people it wasn't.

"Ahh... What hour is it?" A weary masculine voice asked as he tried to shield his eyes from the sun.

"It's... Seven in the morning right now," Another voice answered. This voice was feminine and much less weary than the other as if the owner of the voice was already awake for quite some time.

The male sighed. "Damn... Well, luckily we aren't at my home, or the old man would've woken us up,"

The female giggled before her demeanor turned serious. "I think you are right, we are lucky. I don't think anyone should know about us yet. It's been four months, and so far things are going very well for us. Don't you think so Ichigo?"

"You're right. You already told me what Soul Society would do if they find out about our relationship and at this moment we don't know who to trust. My father may no longer be a part of the Soul Society, but he could very well spill this by accident," Ichigo answered.

"Which is why we bought our house in the fifth Rukongai district. The patrols there are scarce, and those who do patrol here spend little to no time in here before they retreat back to the first four districts. We're lucky that the West gate keeper is an old friend of mine and does not ask any questions when I go through the gate onto the Rukongai in the night and return in the morning,"

"I am still surprised that you and Jidanbo know each other for quite some time. I thought that he was quite new here when I first invaded the Seireitei," Ichigo said.

The female chuckled. "Well, as the Captain of the Fourth Division a team of seated officers and I go to the tenth district and set up in a large house our division owns where we grant medical support for anyone who needs it. There was once a time when a plague spread through most of the Rukongai, so I found myself leaving the Seireitei on a daily basis which is how I got to know Jidanbo as I always left through the West gate. He was mostly lonely during his duty so whenever I left through the gate, I always spent time talking to him and we got to know each other a bit. At one point he told me that he wished the other Captains were as kind as me and that thanks to me his duty became a bit more sufferable," She admitted, slightly embarrassed at the praises.

Ichigo laughed at her embarrassment before he spoke. "That doesn't surprise me actually. I always knew that you were the best Captain here Retsu. You are always kind and gentle and not a stuck-up like Byakuya or insane like Kenpachi. But at the same time, you also know when to stop being gentle. Heck, your smile made me and many others shake in horror whenever we saw it. But now I find it charming so don't worry about it,"

He paled when he saw Unohana use the same smile he just spoke about only this time it seemed more... Deadly.

"I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about Ichigo," She spoke in a sickly sweet voice.

"I... I..." Ichigo heavily stammered. His words stuck in his throat and rendering him unable to speak.

Unohana burst out laughing as she saw her boyfriend's reaction. She was very much aware of the effects this particular smile and tone had on many of the Shinigami around the Seireitei, and she always took slight satisfaction to see their horrified reaction to it.

Meanwhile, the orange-haired boy smiled as he saw the happiness that the woman he loves held. Those were not easy four months for them since that fateful day at the Fourth Division. They faced a fair share of hardships with the biggest one being the secrecy of their relationship. But it always made him think that all of it was worth it whenever he saw her beautiful smile, and it always filled him with love and happiness. It wasn't always like this. Unohana was a person who smiled little to none to the point that even her Vice-Captain could count the times she saw her Captain smile on one hand and even on those rare occasions her smile always seemed... Strained. It never reached her eyes, and it always looked like a faint smirk rather than a smile. But when she was with him she always laughed and smiled, and he took great pride in knowing that it was him who managed to break her out of her shell. But he was not a fool. He knew that Unohana held a big secret. Whenever he gazed at her mesmerizing eyes, he could always see the faint outlines of sadness, remorse, and fear. Back at that fateful day when she approached him before his fight with Kenpachi and gave him advise the sadness in her eyes was clear as the sun. It was the same sadness he held, and it still is the same only now, as time pass, it gets pushed to the sidelines alongside the fear and remorse.

He still remembered the night they made love with each other as if it was only last night. The sound of her moans as she screamed to the heaven in pleasure. The sweat that covered her curvaceous body and gave her a slightly ethereal glow. But the thing he remembers the most was the single scar that rested in-between her collar bone, beneath her braid of hair. He asked her about the origin behind the scar, but he always got the same answer. The answer that confirmed Ichigo's thoughts.

 _"I'm so sorry Ichigo but I just can't... I can't tell you about it, not yet,"_ She always told him with a voice of a frightened child as her eyes pleaded him to understand her answer. He hated seeing the woman he loves behaves like that, and so it was the first and last time he asked her about the scar. For him, that single blemish did not do anything to affect the perfection that was Unohana Retsu. But he saw the sorrow she felt, and he knew that it was related to that scar. He didn't care for any answers anymore so long as she does not experience the sorrow she did the day he first asked. He knew she would tell him whenever she's ready and he will not pressure her about it. In the meantime, as he patiently waits he will do anything in his power to make those feelings of fear, sadness, and remorse to disappear entirely from her features.

It was the least he can do for the woman who broke the barriers around his hollow heart and managed to fill the ever growing void in there. A void created the day his mother had died. After she died, he thought that he'll never know love again and as the years progressed his thoughts slowly proved to be correct. He had Tatsuki, Orihime, Rukia, and more who he befriended but the possibility of ever having feelings towards the girls had never crossed his mind nor will it ever cross. They saw underneath his facade and the scowl he always held and tried to help him, and he was thankful for them, but they couldn't help him no matter how much they tried. Tatsuki and Rukia had never experienced the same loss he did and Orihime, who did experience a similar loss, behaved as if it never happened which only caused his pain to become more and more opaque.

But Unohana was different. He may not know what kind of loss she experienced, but it didn't matter to him. She understood him; she had the same look in her eyes as he did. Even his Hollow had recognized that and did not attack her when he took over. No, he just looked at her with a soul-piercing gaze and cupped her cheek. The Hollow was the manifestation of his instincts and at that moment even his most primal nature, a nature he fought hard to suppress, had acknowledged that Unohana was just like him.

The irony of it all made him laugh. How a bubbly person like Orihime or his closest friends like Tatsuki and Chad never managed to cheer him up and help him yet Unohana who was the same as him and nothing more than a stranger at that time had managed to accomplish what the rest didn't.

Two damaged souls that found everything they ever wanted in each other. Two souls that will do everything to stay together.

They were the happiest they ever were with each other, but for some reason, Ichigo couldn't shake the feeling that this happiness will very soon come to an end.

* * *

Kuchiki Rukia began her day like she usually did. She woke up at the first signs of the sun. She grabbed the set of clothes that the servants had prepared for her and entered the shower. When she finished showering, she made up her futon and folded it before putting it in the closet. After she was done preparing both herself and her room she left and proceeded to the dining room where her brother always awaits her. There she would exchange greetings with him before they began to eat in relative silence with the occasional small talk that varied between personal or work related.

Yes, Kuchiki Rukia's morning was just like any other. Or so she thought. For the last four months, she found herself constantly thinking about the orange-haired Shinigami who she gave her powers to. Ever since the fight he had with Kenpachi where he transformed into a Hollow the event plagued her mind. She replied the event over and over in her head, and no matter how many times she attempted to think about it she could not find an answer to what was bothering her.

Why did the transformed Ichigo behave that way towards Captain Unohana? Why instead of attempting to hurt her like the Hollow it was he stared into her eyes and cupped her cheeks? No Hollow should ever do that sort of things. They were beings without a heart, without mercy. She remembered Ichigo telling her that his Hollow was the embodiment of his instincts. If that was the case then why didn't he attack everyone else? Why did he only settled on Kenpachi only? After all, he was threatened, and his instincts should've urged him to destroy everything that is considered a threat to it. As a Hollow, he could not distinguish between friend or foe so how come he attacked only Kenpachi and not the other Captains? Especially Unohana. They both looked relatively the same. They had the same black and white uniform and the same kind of haori so why?

This what Kuchiki Rukia had found herself questioning ever since that fight. But it didn't end there. She noticed that ever since he was released from the Fourth Division Ichigo's behavior was off. The looks he gave his fellow Shinigami regardless of his relationship with them were not the same he used to give. Those were not the same look of respect and comradeship he used to give. No, those were looks of suspicion and scrutiny as if he was wary of them for some reason and wanted to find something. There were also his unannounced visits to the Soul Society. She often caught him walking around the streets of the Seireitei or towards the Senkaimon. He never announced his presence to his friends during those visits, and he never stayed for more than a few days tops. There were also some rare occasions that she caught him walking towards the West Gate. She tried confronting him about his odd behavior and his reasons for visiting the Soul Society this often and why he went where he did, but his answer was always the same. He always told her that he had business to do and that she should ask the Captain Commander if she wanted to know more.

She never did ask the Captain Commander nor did she ask her Captain or her brother as well. After all, what can she say? That she saw Ichigo frequently visiting and she wanted to know why? The only response she'll get from the Captain Commander will be that it is not her business and both her Captain or her brother will also say that they either do not know or did not bother to find out why.

Instead, she told her friends about it three months after the fight. It was in one of the nights that they gathered in a bar and drank. She told them of her struggle to find out the reason behind Hollow Ichigo's odd behavior at the fight and about the orange-haired substitute frequent visits and unexplained actions. Renji said that it is indeed weird and that they should try and find out more via their Captains. Hinamori said that they shouldn't pry because it would only make Ichigo upset. Rangiku... Rangiku tried to joke, but it was her comment that stuck with Rukia the most.

"Perhaps he found himself a girlfriend?"

There's no way it's true... Right? She was sure Ichigo knew that a relationship between a living human and a soul was absolutely forbidden with the punish of execution regardless of the rank or standing of the two suspects. It was something that was drilled into every Shinigami in the Seireitei. But Ichigo was not a part of the Seireitei, so he probably did not know. But even if it was the case the soul who was a part of the Soul Society should know the consequences of such action. She was sure that whoever it was, did not come from Rukongai as Ichigo has only been there once and that was during the invasion to rescue her. But if it was a Shinigami who was involved with Ichigo then didn't she know the consequences of their actions? She knew she was the same, and in Ichigo's case she was willing to risk it, but she was sure that she was the only one who felt that way.

Something fishy was going on, and Rukia was determined to solve it. She would solve it no matter what it took. She needed to put her heart at ease. When she heard Rangiku's joke, her heart clenched as her mind raced and she couldn't deal with it. She needed to find the answers.

So, for the next month, she waited for the right moment to follow Ichigo. She asked Rangiku to help her as two sets of eyes, and two minds were better than one.

That day had finally come near the end of the month. They saw Ichigo leaving the Seireitei through the West Gate and proceeded to follow him all the way to the Fifth District of Rukongai where he entered a house.

Their confusion and curiosity only grew, and they dared not to leave it at that, so they went to the roof of a nearby house and looked through the bedroom window of the house Ichigo entered. They saw him enter and leave his sword near the door before he approached a blind spot in the room which caused them to become frustrated. But the frustration did not last for long before shock and horror took its place as they saw Captain Unohana and Ichigo kissing each other. Both naked like the day they were born as they went to bed.

It was at that moment that the heart of Rukia Kuchiki was utterly broken as she saw the boy she love with another girl.

"I-i guess he did find himself a girlfriend," Rangiku shakily said.

Bitterness and anger filled Rukia, and her shocked visage turned into one of hate and betrayal.

Rukia scowled. "Come Rangiku, let's go," She snarled.

The blonde Vice-Captain looked at her friend in worry. "What do you plan to do?" She asked.

Rukia's face darkened. "I plan to make sure they know the consequences of their actions,"

"Are you sure you want to do this? I thought Ichigo was your friend. If you'll tell anyone it will only hurt him," Rangiku asked.

"I am sure. They need to suffer for their actions," She said, her voice so cold that it put her brother's own voice to shame.

Matsumoto just frowned, not knowing what to say in response to her friend's words, before settling on a mere nod before the two Flash-Stepped away. Not noticing a third presence that observed the same scene the did.

* * *

It was later that same day when Ichigo and Unohana parted ways as Ichigo returned to Karakura while Unohana returned to her Division. Both did so in a way that will not arise suspicion.

It was late evening by the time Ichigo had entered his house. He didn't know why but the orange-haired could not shake the feeling of unrest ever since he left his and Unohana's apartment in the Rukongai. He did not know whether or not to be very bothered by this feeling as he did not know the origin of it. Perhaps it was unrest due to excitement? Or perhaps it was unrest from fear about something? He did not know, and he found it pointless to try and figure it out. With a shrug, he entered his room, and the sight he was met with did not surprise him one bit. Kon was in his body like usual as he laid on the bed with a dirty magazine in his hands while faint giggles could be heard coming from him. A tick mark appeared on Ichigo as he slowly approached Kon as not to alert him to his presence. Once he neared him, he spent no time and instantly slammed his fist onto his stomach and causing the shocked Kon to ejected his pill outside before he even had the time to react.

He grabbed Kon's stuffed puppet and shoved the pill inside his mouth. Coughing was heard as the modded soul regained the breath he lost when Ichigo had slammed his fist in his stomach.

"Are you crazy?!" He asked the Substitute Shinigami in anger.

"Shut up you perverted stuffed animal you should've seen this coming! Next time I'll see you reading a magazine like that while you are in my body I'll give you to Yuzu for a month," Ichigo threatened, causing Kon to pale greatly.

"P-Please! Anything but her!" He pleaded on his knees.

Ichigo huffed in response. "Then don't be a pervert anymore," He told him.

Kon cried comical tears as he asked for his dear sister to come back and free him from hell made ruled an evil strawberry.

Ichigo sighed, getting tired of Kon's antics. "So did anything happened while I was away?" He asked the plush.

"Same boring stuff as always... Although Urahara came by to talk with your father. I didn't manage to listen, but their expressions were grave when they spoke," Kon told Ichigo.

'Weird... I'll ask goat-chin about it,' Ichigo thought to himself.

After thanking Kon for telling him, he made his way down the stairs and towards the kitchen where he saw his father sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Hey, goat-chin! Why aren't you asleep?" Ichigo asked his father.

His father for his part ignored Ichigo's remark as he set down his cup and turned to look at Ichigo with a stern expression on his face that caused Ichigo to frown.

"Ichigo I need to talk with you, so please sit down," Isshin told him.

Silence lingered in the room as both father and son stared intently at each other before Isshin sighed and broke the silence.

"Urahara dropped by earlier today to talk to me," Isshin told his son.

"What did Hat and Clogs wanted?" Ichigo asked impatiently.

"He actually wanted to talk to me about you and some interesting things he found out," At hearing his father say that Ichigo froze completely.

Seeing his son reaction, Isshin continued. "He told me that Yoruichi stumbled upon a very interesting scene as she traveled around the Fifth Rukongai District," Ichigo began to sweat bullets as panic and fear slowly overtook him but he tried his best to act cool.

"What did that crazy cat already saw that interested her that much?"

"Apparently she claimed that she saw you entering an apartment there where you met with Captain Unohana and resumed to have some... Fun," His father deadpanned.

"I-I..." Ichigo struggled to say, his throat dry.

"Dammit, Ichigo! Are you crazy? You knew that having a relationship with a soul from the Soul Society was absolutely forbidden, and yet you did so with a Captain no less. What the hell did you think? Do you have any idea what will happen if word about it reached the other Captains? Especially the old man?" Ichigo was stunned. He never heard his father admonish him or his sisters like that and it floored him. Yet again, he and his sisters were not in a danger of being executed and having your soul destroyed before so he couldn't really blame his father.

He hardened his gaze on his father before he spoke. "You probably know about my fight with Kenpachi?" At seeing his father nod, he continued.

"Before the fight Captain Unohana approached me and gave me advice about the fight. Before Retsu left she... Flirted with me you could say. Unohana is a very beautiful, gracious, and skilled girl I will not deny that. But that was not the reason why I did what I did. When I looked into her eyes, I could see something in them that I never saw in anyone else. I saw the same pain I felt ever since mom died. Sure, the circumstances are probably different, but the pain was the same. I saw the grief and remorse that her eyes clearly displayed and I felt as if she and I were the same and that there is finally someone who can understand how I feel. I know what you think but mom's death was my fault even if you disagree with me. If only I didn't approach the girl at the river then she wouldn't have had to follow me and protect me with her life. If only I had the power to protect her then she would still be here with us instead of that poster. But I didn't, and there's not a single day when I don't blame myself for it. To this day the sadness I feel over her death is the same as I felt a day after it happened. The remorse and guilt I feel also didn't lessen in the slightest since that day. When I look at Unohana, I see her feeling the same thing about whatever it was that happened to her. Even my Hollow, the manifestation of my instincts, did not attack Unohana when he took over during my fight with Kenpachi. He just stood there and stared at her eyes as if analyzing her before he cupped her cheek! Even my most primal part that wanted to destroy everything and take over me understood that Unohana and I are the same and did not dare to harm even a single hair of her. When I look at her when she smiles I am happy knowing I was the one who managed to help her overcome her pain and the same goes for me. Whenever I laugh with her, I can see the look she gives me. A look full of nothing but love and joy that she managed to help me, in the same manner, I helped her. All this emotions thing isn't my strong suit, but this is what I feel," Ichigo told his father who stared at his son with a shocked expression.

Upon composing himself and getting his bearing, Isshin flashed his son a soft smile before he asked him a question.

"If the Soul Society will come to know of your relationship with Captain Unohana what will you do? Will you run away or will you fight?"

Ichigo spent not even a single second to think about his answer. He already knew what he would do. He always did. Since the day their relationship had come to life the answer was clear.

"If the Soul Society will threaten Retsu and everyone else I love and care about I will raze them to the ground. I will not hesitate even if I will face some of my friends like Renji. I will try to talk them out of it, but if things come down to it, I will not hesitate to protect those I love," Ichigo informed his father. His eyes were burning in with his resolve.

His father said nothing and his featured did not betray his thoughts about Ichigo's answer which quite unnerved the latter. Isshin simply got up from his seat and went to Ichigo before enveloping him in a tight hug.

"I am proud of you son. You speak about Captain Unohana, in the same manner, I used to speak about your mother. I haven't seen you smile like you just did ever since your mother died and I'm glad to see that she was able to make you smile after all this time. You and her will have many hardships in the path you have chosen, but I can see your resolve to face and overcome those difficulties burning brightly in your eyes. I only ask you of one thing Ichigo," His father told him.

"Yes, goat-chin? what is it?" Ichigo nervously asked his father. Not knowing what to expect from his now serious father.

"Could you give me grandchildren soon?" And just like that... The newfound respect Ichigo acquired for his father during this talk had all but vanished as Ichigo's brows twitched in anger.

"What the hell goat-chin!" He bellowed as he punched his father in the head and sending him flying towards the living room.

His father recovered quickly from his son assault on him and made his way towards the poster of his deceased wife.

"Oh, Masaki our cruel son refuse to continue our legacy!" He cried onto his wife's poster.

Ichigo was about to march towards his father to continue his much-deserved onslaught on the old man when frantic knockings were heard from the door.

Knowing that whoever knocked in that manner probably had a good reason behind it Ichigo sprinted towards the door.

When he opened it he froze in his spot as the scene before him would forever be etched in his mind for there stood Retsu Unohana, the woman he loved, leaning on the doorframe with her clothes close to tatters and her figure bloody as she barely clung to consciousness.

"R-Retsu?!" With a dry throat and a raspy voice, Ichigo had struggled to ask. Never noticing the sound of his father footsteps approaching him after hearing his son.

Unohana looked at him and flashed him a weak smile before she spoke.

She didn't say much. In fact, she only said two simple words, but those words carried a heavy weight behind them that will change Ichigo's life forever.

"They... Know,"

* * *

 _ **AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the sixth chapter of "Healing What is Broken."._**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who had Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!_**

 ** _I want to apologize for the time it took me to update the story and say that I had prior engagements to deal with in my life that prevented me from updating fast._**

 ** _For those of you who are fans of Harry Potter, I am happy to say that I have published a new Fanfiction for it and I recommend you to check it out!_**

 ** _Regarding the Naruto FanFiction. It's still in works and I'll announce when it is published so those who are interested can check it out._**

 ** _Also, note that this chapter may contain some OOC (and AU obviously)._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"Talking."

 **'Zanpakutō / Hollow talking.'**

 _'Thoughts.'_

 _"Quotation."_

*Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing*

 ** _(Flashback and time skips_ _)_**

 _ **"Attacks /**_ **Zanpakutō release** _ **."**_

* * *

As Unohana uttered those two cursed words Ichigo felt as if his heart has stopped beating.

He was not stupid. He knew of the chance that someone will find out about their forbidden relationship but the consequences of it were never truly comprehended until that very moment as he gazed at the woman he loved covered in blood and sweat that caused the tatters of her clothes to stick to her body.

"W-What happened?" He shakily asks while ushering her inside towards the Clinic with his father close on his heels.

After being laid into a bed by Ichigo's father who also begun to treat her wounds using Kido, Unohana found the strength to speak.

"A… A few hours ago, a Hell Butterfly arrived with a message from the Captain-Commander which spoke of an emergency Captain meeting to be held in an hour. I was confused because things were relatively quiet in the Soul Society lately and an emergency meeting wasn't called since the Winter War against Aizen and his army. Regardless, I finished my business and resumed to go to the meeting with Isane. The moment I stepped in I realized that something was wrong as every Captain there had weird expressions etched onto their faces. Captains Hitsugaya and Kuchiki looked at me with utter bewilderment while Captains Komamura and Soi-Fon, and Zaraki looked at me with a sneer. The Vizards and Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku looked conflicted and disbelieving at the same time. And Captain Kurotsuchi looked gleeful as if he made a breakthrough discovery,"

"What about the old man?" Ichigo questioned in a whisper.

"The Captain-Commander just stood there and gazed directly into my eyes and despite my many years of living as well as serving beside him I couldn't help but shiver as the feeling of being judged by him passed through my body. It took no more than a brief second, but it looked as if it was so much more. He cracked his eyes open and banged his cane to signal the beginning of the meeting as I took my place. The meeting started like any other meeting with us relaying any new information to the Captain-Commander as well as discussing the welfare of the Soul Society. During the meeting I caught sight of various Captains adjusting their Zanpakutos' scabbards while maintaining a tight hold on them as if they were a moment away from drawing it," Her voice became hoarse causing her to stop mid-speech to take a sip from a cup of water Isshin has brought for her.

"It wasn't until an hour or so into the meeting that it took a drastic turn. Instead of the usual topics. The Captain-Commander suddenly began to speak of the rules of conduct that each Shinigami swore to uphold especially the Captains who are looked up as role models. How severe the punishment can be should a Captain break a rule especially if he did so knowingly and not by mistake. He then sighed before he spoke the words I dreaded the most. He said that it is rather unfortunate that it was brought to his attention that such case has occurred recently and the one who has committed the transgression will be dealt with. It was at the end of this sentence that all the other Captains drew their Zanpakutos and pointed them at me while the Captain-Commander slowly made his way towards me. I… I remember hearing the gasps of the lieutenants who were also present in the meeting as they witnessed that scene as well as hearing from the Captain-Commander the reason behind it. I remember tilting my head, so I could have a quick glance at Isane and the look of utter sorrow and betrayal she had on her face when she looked at me. I listened as the Captain-Commander detailed our relationship to the ears of everyone present. How we knowingly engaged in a relationship romantic and sexually that is supposed to be forbidden. And then… Then he revealed how he came by the discovery of our relationship," At this, she stopped her story and looked at Ichigo with a look of anguish as if she knew that the words she spoke next will greatly affect him.

"It's okay, Retsu. No matter what I'll always stand with you," Ichigo soothed her.

"It was Rukia," Ichigo froze. "Apparently, she tailed you one day while you made your way toward our house in Rukongai and she managed to see us from our bedroom's window. From what I could gather she wasn't alone as according to the Captain-Commander the Lieutenant of the Tenth Division was also there. I waited, knowing that unless I somehow escaped my fate was sealed and I could no longer see you and warn you about the danger that was heading your way. I managed to escape by firing a weakened Hadō No.1: Shō at the floor which caused enough distraction – if only for a brief moment – for me to quickly escape the room. As I made my way to the Senkaimon with the other Captains hot on my heels. I got hit by some well-aimed Kidō spells while also battling some of the Captains that managed to block my way or force me into a fight. Eventually, I managed to reach the Senkaimon but not without being badly damaged. Fortunately, the other Captains did not follow me, but I am sure that they did that, so they could return and form a proper plan to deal with the both of us as they know that I went to you," By the end of Unohana's story Ichigo was speechless while many emotions raged inside him.

He felt betrayed by Rukia and his other Shinigami friends at how they chose to go against him instead of supporting him like he did countless of times. He felt sorrow at seeing his friendships break. He felt fear as he thought about the consequences it'll have on his living family and friends.

He was reminded of the talk he and his father shared a few hours ago and the words he spoke.

 _"If the Soul Society will threaten Retsu and everyone else I love and care about I will raze them to the ground. I will not hesitate even if I will face some of my friends like Renji. I will try to talk them out of it, but if things come down to it, I will not hesitate to protect those I love,"_

Only a few hours ago it seemed so unreal that things will be forced to become that way, but they did and Ichigo would rather die before he went back on his words.

"What are you going to do?" His father's voice snapped him out of his trance.

He looked at him, his gaze sharp and unwavering. "I will do what I told you I'll do should things turn out that way. I will raze the Soul Society to the ground without hesitation even if it is my friends I'll stand against,"

Unohana gasped as she heard Ichigo's resolve but couldn't help the feeling of utter happiness that washed over her.

She felt protect and cared for. She felt loved and important and it was all thanks to the man who stood in front of her. She already knew long before that moment that Ichigo was worth it or otherwise she wouldn't have engaged in a relationship with him in the first place. But it was now, that Unohana truly realized just how well she chose.

They both knew that the journey ahead of them will be full of hardships and bloodshed. But standing together, side by side, as they declared war on the Soul Society they felt that it was all worth it.

They knew that the fight ahead of them was not for domination or ascension like Aizen nor was it a merciless extermination caused by a disagreement like with the Quincy's. They fought for a chance, a chance to live and a chance to love. They fought because they knew that if it wasn't them then it will be someone else as this war is unavoidable no matter how differently others will think.

His father sighed heavily. "You should let your friends know as it will affect them as well. The old-man will spare nothing to reach you two including taking your friends,"

"What about Yuzu and Karin?" Ichigo asked fearing for his sisters.

"I have Urahara and Yoruichi to help me protect them, and when the time is right I will tell them all about the Soul Society and why their brother had to leave,"

Ichigo nodded solemnly, knowing that there was no other choice.

He looked at his father and their eyes met and at that moment they both knew exactly what the other thought.

 _'You should go now. I promise that Yuzu and Karin will be alright. Know that I am very proud of you Ichigo and I am sure your mother is as well,'_

 _'Tell them goodbye for me. I promise that I'll come back. Thank you… For everything'_

And with that, Ichigo had helped the mostly healed Unohana to rise from her bed before they left with a Flash-Step.

Complete darkness enveloped them with only the moon's light to vanquish the darkness as they made their way towards Urahara using only deserted alleys and parks as to avoid detection should a Captain appear.

Ichigo had already sent a message to Urahara telling him to gather his friends at his shop and that he'll come soon.

"What are you planning to ask your friends?" Unohana asked him while they continued to make their way towards the shop.

"I am not going to ask them to join me if that is what you mean. I already caused them enough trouble as it is. Our invasions into Soul Society and Hueco Mundo and the war with Aizen and his Espada's has brought enough scars and pain to my friends. But at the same time, should they wish to join us I will not stop them," Ichigo replied.

Unohana grimaced, knowing exactly what he meant when he spoke of the scars and pain his friends had experienced.

Be it the Ishida who got injured in both invasions as well as lost his powers. Be it Orihime who got kidnapped and held hostage by Aizen and the horrors she faced during that time. Be it Chad who was forced to break the principles of which he grew up on time and time again, so he could help his friend even when it meant getting gravely injured.

Everyone had scars and the experiences that they've been through would make even experienced Shinigami to have nightmares. Even she, as old and experienced as she is, has scars that she can't deal with. Scars that haunt her for a long time and only now with Ichigo at her side do the scars seemed to be healable if only just.

There was an unspoken question that both thought of, but none of them voiced aloud.

Will they join this time?

Unohana could see that Ichigo, despite acting otherwise, was hopeful that his friends will join them.

She knew that he most likely felt guilty for the danger that his friends will be in because of him and he wanted them to join him, so he could personally protect them instead of just sending them to hide while constantly pondering about their fate.

At last, after what seemed like many hours the front of Urahara's store was in sight.

They stopped in front of it, only sparing a moment to glance around them to make sure they were not followed before they hurriedly got inside.

They saw Ichigo's friends sitting in various states of dress and fatigue.

There was Orihime, who looked as if she was a moment away from falling asleep despite being in the middle of a conversation with Tatsuki.

Then there were Ishida, Keigo, and Mizuiro, who spoke with Urahara and Yoruichi about several subjects.

None of them noticed the two new arrivals until Urahara cleared his throat and spoke.

"Ah! It's so nice of you to finally join us! Help yourself with some tea," The Ex-Captain spoke with his carefree voice while he gestured for the two to take a seat.

"Why did you ask Urahara to gather us at this hour Kurosaki?" It was Ishida who asked the question that was on everyone's mind, while he and the others gazed bewildered at Unohana.

He, like everyone else of Ichigo's friends, has noticed the orange-haired Shinigami's odd behavior for the last four months and was curious to find out what had brought this on.

There were many nights that he and the others sat down and began to speculate.

Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro, who knew little to nothing about the Soul Society, did not provide good speculations while Orihime, who was knowledgeable about the Soul Society, also provided far-fetched and absurd theories.

It was up to Ishida and Chad to come up with theories and they were proud of the theories they came with.

Chad, being the silent type, merely hummed in agreement to Ishida's theories but he also provided his own theory or input in the moments he felt were right.

Perhaps there was another crisis in the Soul Society? Perhaps the Captain-Commander wants to integrate Ichigo into the Gotei? Perhaps the fight against Kenpachi had consequences far more than they imagined?

They were all sound theories, but which one was the right one? Perhaps all the theories were wrong, and the real cause was something entirely different?

"Well…" Ichigo rubbed his head sheepishly as he thought of a way to explain what happened.

The group that consisted of Ichigo's friends as well as Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi, all sat in rapt attention as they listened to Ichigo begin his tale.

They were astounded as they heard of Ichigo tell how his fight against Kenpachi led to a budding romance with Captain Unohana. How even before the fight Ichigo had entertained the thought that Captain Unohana might've flirted with him and how he didn't seem to mind it and in fact appeared to be excited from the prospect of such a thing.

They were all conflicted as they heard Ichigo go into the details of their romance. How similar they were to each other and how that same similarity was the reason that Ichigo's Hollow refused to attack Unohana and instead cupped her cheek as he inspected her with his piercing look.

Should they be happy for the couple that despite the tragic events in their lives found happiness at last? Or should they be mad that they engaged in a reckless and forbidden romance that so far seemed to hurt everyone around them?

Hearing about Rukia's unusual response to the discovery of the romance made them realize that the raven-haired girl was hurt very deeply, and they knew why. Sneaking a glance at the silent Orihime also told them that the auburn-haired girl was also deeply hurt if the silent tremors of her body and the way her eyes shone with unshed tears were any indication.

The group wasn't clueless to any of it. Ishida and Chad knew of both Orihime and Rukia's infatuation with Ichigo while the others knew of only Orihime and they all hoped that Ichigo will stop being dense and make his pick of which girl to become involved with.

Meanwhile, Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi also sat in a stunned silence as they digested everything they have heard. At first, when Yoruichi had caught the two and reported her findings to Urahara the two were sure that it was nothing more than meaningless sex as the difference between the two was huge. But now, hearing Ichigo speak of his relationship to Unohana and seeing the love they each hold to one another shine brilliantly in their eyes when they gazed at each other they were sure that they were wrong.

They also knew the consequences of such a romance and vowed to themselves that they will stand on their side and help as they knew how being wrongfully condemned by the Soul Society felt.

Sure, Ichigo and Unohana had indeed broken Soul Society rules. But who said that the rules were right? The Soul Society had existed for a very long time while being unable to correctly adjust to the present as their own tragedy as well as Rukia's attempted execution indicated.

"Soul Society had found out about our relationship and they had attacked Captain Unohana after baiting her to an _"emergency meeting"_ between the Captains. They went after her with the intent to kill or, at the very least, bring her alive so they could wrongfully convict her and destroy her soul like they tried to do to Rukia," Ichigo said, growling in hatred at Rukia's name.

"What do you want us to do then?" Ishida asked with a hint of anger.

Ichigo stared at him for a moment as if analyzing him before speaking again. "We want you to go into hiding so Soul Society will not try to use you against us. If you want to join us in our war against them then you are welcome to, but we will not force you to do so,"

Ishida snorted. "How can you come here and ask us to once again risk our lives because of a foolish act you have made?" He asked, his voice full of disdain. "Look around you Kurosaki! Look at Inoue and see just how much sitting here seeing the man she loves asking her to risk her life, so he could live happily with another hurts her. Turn on the thing you call a brain and think why would Rukia betray you like that? She betrayed you because she couldn't handle the heartbreak you caused her, and she wanted revenge. What about Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro? You cannot drag them into this world where they are completely powerless to even defend themselves because of something you have caused. You can expect them nor us to drop everything and put our lives to a halt because of you! I am sorry Kurosaki, but I think that I speak for all of us when I say that this time you stand alone,"

Ichigo was frozen in his spot as he stared at everyone with a myriad of emotions.

"Do not attempt to justify Rukia's actions!" Anger won out, causing him to lash back at Ishida. "I thought she was my best friend. After everything we have been through, she should've been happy for me just as how I would've been if she got into a relationship. Instead, she went and revealed my relationship with Retsu knowing full well that the consequences for the both of us will be total annihilation,"

As he finished his rant, his anger dissipated as he turned to look at Orihime and instead sadness took its place.

"I am sorry, Inoue. I never knew that you loved me, and I am sorry but even if I knew I doubt that I would've acted on it. I love you, but only like a sister and not more. You deserve someone who will make you feel happy and safe and not put you at risk or make you feel scared," He uttered softly, cringing as he saw the tears that now flowed from her eyes.

"I-It's okay, Ichigo," She struggled to say between her sobs as she flashed him a smile he knew for certain was fake.

He turned his gaze back towards Ishida, ignoring the glare directed at him by Tatsuki and the shocked looks that Keigo and Mizuiro adorned.

When he spoke to the Quincy again his tone was steely. "I did not ask for you to join me as I know that it'll put you at an even greater risk. I thought, that as my friends, you will support me especially when it concerns my happiness. I love Unohana and if I am faced with a choice between having my friends with me or her then I will choose her. I have made the same selection with Soul Society when I swore to raze it to the ground should they come after us and now I am going through with my words," Gasps were heard as he revealed his resolve to them.

It was at that moment that everyone truly realized just how serious Ichigo was.

Ishida remained silent and only nodded at Ichigo showing that he accepted his choice.

Ichigo nodded back and turned to leave with Unohana but not before sending Chad a last look as if he expected the Mexican giant to rise from his seat and come with them.

When that did not happen Ichigo truly realized just how alone he and Unohana will be in the war ahead of them.

Still, the realization did nothing to dampen his spirit or resolve because for both him and Unohana their relationship was worth the upcoming war.

"Ichigo, what are we going to do now?" Unohana asked, gazing sadly at Ichigo.

It has been an hour since the two had left Urahara's shop and went to hide in the outskirts of the town close to where Ichigo's final confrontation with Aizen had occurred and she could see just how affected Ichigo was by his friend's choice even if he did not let it show.

She did not blame him as she knew just how much he was attached to his friends seeing as how he did the impossible for them like invading the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.

She felt guilty as she thought of how it was because of her that things turned out like that.

Perhaps she was cursed? Maybe love was something she was never meant to feel? She wouldn't be surprised if she was cursed considering her atrocious past.

"I know what you think, and you should stop that," Ichigo's tender voice snapped her from her reverie.

She was always awestruck as she saw just how well Ichigo knew her and how easily he read her as if it was the first time that it happened.

"Why should I stop? It's my fault that you are now without your friends and family," She whispered miserably.

Ichigo cupped her cheeks and inched his head closer to hers as he met her eyes. "Do not, think for even a second, that I blame you for anything that happened. It's the opposite. Before, I was lonely and miserable. Guilt about my mother's death haunted me whenever I went even after many years and despite having friends I always felt alone. I always felt that something was missing and no matter what it couldn't be filled. When I met Rukia and she gave me her powers I thought that the emptiness was finally filled and that a purpose was what I missed. It wasn't because shortly after rescuing Rukia I realized that I always had a purpose and that I just did not possess the means to fulfill it. My purpose was, is, to protect and with the powers, Rukia had given me I finally had the means to do so unlike with my mother. The emptiness was finally filled when I met the woman who is the love of my life and she accepted me. It was then that I realized that the thing I missed was love. Sure, I had my father and sisters who loved me as well as my friends, but that love was different. That was the love of a family and friends and not a love born out of romantic feelings like ours. You love me for who I am and not because I am a part of your family or your cycle of friends. You saw someone who was just like you, someone who could understand you like no one else," By the time he was finished, Unohana had tears stream steadily from her eyes.

He kissed her tears before giving her a passionate kiss on the lips to convey the sincerity of his words and the deep love he held for her.

They did not know just how long the kiss lasted and they did not care but eventually, they were interrupted by something that caused them to freeze in terror.

"I hate to interrupt, but you two have to come with me," They heard a familiar voice speak.

They turned slowly to face the owner of the voice, already knowing what to expect.

There, standing in front of them with his Zanpakuto drawn and ready for battle was the Captain of the Tenth Division Hitsugaya Toshiro.

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!_**


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